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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT  Of 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  OF  U. 


Accession 


Cla&s 


LOSE     A3  BEY 


HOLY     LAND 


WITH 


GLIMPSES  OF  EUROPE  AND  EGYPT: 


A    YEAR'S    TOUR. 


BY  S.  DRYDEN   PHELPS,  D.D. 


SHELDON   &   COMPANY,   335  BROADWAY. 
BOSTON:   GOULD  &  LINCOLN. 

1863. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1862, 

BY  S.  D.   PHELPS, 
In  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Connecticut. 


J.     H.     TOBITT 

anfr 

1  Franklin  Square,  New  York. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


MELROSE  ABBEY Frontispiece. 

PALM  TREES Title-page. 

BUNYAN'S  COTTAGE  AT  ELSTOW 25 

HOSPICE  OF  ST.  BERNARD 62 

FLORENCE    FROM   THE    SOUTH-EAST 102 

THE  NILE  AT  OLD  CAIRO 162 

GHAWAZEE  OR  DANCING  GIRLS 169 

RUINS  OF  KARNAK  AT   THEBES 173 

HOUSE  WITH  A  CHAMBER  ON  THE  ROOF  OR  WALL.  .  .  193 

HOUSE-TOP  OR  ROOF  AND  BATTLEMENTS 193 

WOMEN  WEEPING  AT  A  GRAVE 198 

POOL   OF  HEZKKIAH,  OLIVET,  ETC 203 

AVAILING  PLACE  OF  THE  JEWS 214 

ABSALOM'S  TOMB  (RESTORED) 220 

BETHANY  . 2*22 

BETHLEHEM 242 

THE   DEAD     SEA   FROM   THE    NORTH-WEST 248 

THE     JORDAN,     AT     THE     SUPPOSED    PLACE    OF   CHRIST'S 

BAPTISM 252 

JERUSALEM   FROM   THE  NORTH-EAST 282 

CAPERNAUM   AND    SEA    OF    GALILEE  .  .  .  .  : 356 

SKIN    BOTTLES     AND    \VATER-JAR8 360 

OF    NAZARETH . ,  . . 366 


101798 


PREFACE. 


"  WHAT  travelers  the  Americans  are  !  I  find  them  everywhere," 
eaid  a  solid,  intelligent,  good-natured  English  lady  as  she  reached, 
almost  out  of  breath,  the  top  of  the  last  flight  of  stairs  in  the  lofty 
tower  of  the  great  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  in  Antwerp,  and 
looked  a  few  feet  above  where  I  had  just  climbed  to  the  highest 
accessible  point.  She  might  have  added,  if  she  had  looked  over 
the  lists  of  our  publishers,  "  and  how  many  books  of  travels  they 
write  !"  Every  author,  I  suppose,  perceives — though  others  may 
not — reasons  sufficient  to  justify  his  publication.  He  differs,  per- 
haps, in  some  important  respects,  from  others  who  have  gone  over 
the  same  ground,  or  he  has  so  wrought  up,  arranged,  and  con- 
densed his  materials  as  to  present  in  a  life-like  manner  just  what 
is  most  desirable  and  interesting  to  readers  generally. 

I  have  given  a  sketch  of  my  whole  tour  in  a  single  volume,  and 
I  do  not  know  of  another  writer  who  has  brought  the  results  of  a 
journey  of  like  extent  into  so  small  a  space.  In  this  purposed 
and  labored  brevity,  the  first  part  of  the  book  is  necessarily  a  rapid 
narrative  of  sights  and  scenes  by  the  way ;  but  the  chapters  on 
Palestine — a  land  of  the  deepest  interest  to  all  who  prize  the 
sacred  Scriptures — I  have  extended  and  amplified  as  the  subject 
seemed  to  demand.  I  have  endeavored  to  present  accurate  pictures 
of  the  places  and  scenery  where  I  traveled,  so  that  the  reader,  by 
using  as  it  were  my  eyes,  may  have  a  kind  of  stereoscopic  view  of 


IV  PREFACE DEDICATION. 

the  same  localities.  To  the  general  reader,  to  the  student  01  the 
Bible,  to  the  tourist  through  the  same  countries — and  who  does 
not  desire  or  intend  sometime  to  make  the  journey  ? — I  trust  this 
volume  will  be  found  both  useful  and  entertaining.  In  preparing 
the  materials  of  my  daily  journal  for  the  press,  I  have  consulted 
several  works  on  the  Holy  Land,  and  have  derived  especial  aid 
from  Dr.  Thomson's  "  Land  and  the  Book,"  Stanley's  "  Sinai  and 
Palestine,"  and  the  "  Hand-book  of  Syria  and  Palestine,"  compiled 
by  Rev.  J.  L.  Porter. 


While  visiting,  in  Florence,  the  observatory  of  Galileo  where 
by  his  improved  telescope  he  made  wondrous  discoveries  in  the 
heavens,  the  saintly  spirit  of  my  precious  mother,  in  her  seventy- 
fifth  year,  passed  to  her  glorious  home  beyond  the  stars.  And 
while  ascending  the  Nile,  near  the  place  where  the  infant  Moses 
was  found  in  the  flags  of  the  river,  my  youngest  child,  a  bright 
and  darling  boy  in  his  fourth  year,  was  taken  up  to  the  bosom  of 
the  Good  Shepherd.  To  their  blessed  memories,  and  to  my  be- 
loved Christian  Flock,  by  whose  approval  and  kind  liberality  the 
journey  was  undertaken,  I  dedicate  this  volume. 

NEW  HAVEN,-  Conn.,  1862. 


CONTENTS. 


I.— THE  PASSAGE— IRELAND— SCOTLAND. 

Embarking— Sea-life— Icebergs— Whales—Saint  Johns— Services— Land  ho  !— . 
Queenstown — Cork — Blarney  Castle — Sabbath  in  Killarney — The  Lakes — Gap 
of  Dunloe — Fourth  of  July  Celebration — Limerick — Dublin — Presbyterian 
Assembly— Revival— Belfast— Dr.  Cooke— Giant's  Causeway— Round  Towers 
— Trip  to  Scotland— The  Highlands— Lochs  Lomond  and  Katrine— Stirling 
Castle— Edinburgh— Abbotsford 9 

II.— ENGLAND— WALES— NOTED  PLACES. 

Rural  Scenery— Excursion  to  Caernarvon— Its  Castle— Liverpool— Rev.  Stowell 
Brown — Dr.  Raffles — Bedford — Bunyan's  Cottage — Cardiugton — Kettering — 
Northampton  —  Olney  —  Stratford-on-Avon  —  Leamington  —  Oxford — South- 
ampton— Stonehenge— Isle  of  Wight 22 

III.— LONDON— BUNHILL  FIELDS— PREACHERS. 

Greatness  of  London — Saint  Paul's — Westminster  Abbey — British  Museum — 
Hampton  Court— Windsor  Castle— Houses  of  Parliament— Bunyan's  Tomb— 
Smithfield — Spurgeon's  Preaching — Dr.  Gumming — Hall,  Noel,  Landels,  and 
Brock— Prayer  Meetings 31 

IV.— FRANCE— BELGIUM— HOLLAND— THE  RHINE, 

Across  the  Channel  — Rouen  — Paris— Grand  Military  Pageant  —  American 
Chapel — Churches  and  Religion — The  People — Parisian  Attractions — Versail- 
les —  Belgian  Scenery  —  Brussels  —  King  Leopold  —  Waterloo  —  Antwerp—- 
Churches—Rubens— Dutch-Land,  Cities  and  Scenery— Aix-la-Chapelle— Tomb 
of  Charlemagne — Relics — Cologne — On  the  Rhine — Drachenfels — Mayence — 
Frankfort— Heidelberg— Baden-Baden— Strasbourg— A  Famous  Clock 40 

V.— SWITZERLAND— A  TOUR  IN  THE  ALPS. 

Mountain  Scenery  —  Rail-Carriages  —  Geneva— Dr.  Malan— The  Arve— Mont 
Blanc — Chamouny — Flegere — Mer  de  Glace — Glaciers — Tete  Noir — Martigny— 
Grand  Saint  Bernard— Dogs— The  Morgue— Moonlight  Drive— Baths  of  Leuk 
— Gemmi  Pass — Thuu — Interlachen — Swiss  Lakes 55 

VI.— TEE  SWISS— ALPINE  JOURNEYS— GERMANY. 

Characteristics — Cottages — Productions — Sabbath  Observance — Dust-Stream— 
Wengern  Aip— Jungfrau  —  Avalanches  —  Grindelwald  —  Great  Scheideck— 
Storm  — Reichenbach  — Happy  Valley— Handek— Grimsel— Rhone  Glacier— 
Furca — Devil's  Bridge — Home  of  Tell — Ascent  of  the  Rigi — Storm — Predica- 
ment —  Mount  Pilatus  —  Lucerne  —  Zurich  —  Constance  —  John  Huss — Rhine 
Falls— Lake  Constance — Augsburg 67 


VI  CONTENTS. 

VII.— BAVARIA— AUSTRIA— ITALY— VENICE. 

Munich— Art  Galleries— Churches— Cemetery— Russian  Bath— German  People— 
The  Tyrol  — Salzburg  — Mozart— Kufstein  — Deep  Well  — A  Criminal— Inns- 
bruck— Wounded  Soldiers — Brenner  Pass — In  Italy — Verona — Attractions  of 
Venice— Gondolas— Murano  and  Lido — Padua— Solierino 62 

VIII.— MILAN— MANTUA— BOLOGNA— FLORENCE— PISA. 

Milan  Cathedral  — Last  Supper— Incident— Birth-place  of  Virgil— Bologna- 
Apennines  —  Rural  Aspects— People  Excited— Productions— Florence— Pitti 
Palace— Umzi  Gallery— Churches— Mr.  Powers— Protestant  Services— A  Sin- 
gular Prisoner — Fiesole — Galileo's  Observatory — Baptism  and  Funeral — Bene- 
fits of  Travel— Contrasts— Pisa— Baptistery— Campo  Santo — Cathedral— Lean- 
ing Tower — Leghorn  to  Rome 94 

IX.— ROME— ITS  CHURCHES— THE  VATICAN— TIVOLI. 

The  Eternal  City— Churches— Raphael's  House— Saint  Peter's— Interior,  Roof, 
and  Ball— Saint  Paul's— Saint  John  Lateran— Holy  Staircase— Paul's  Hired 
House— Mamertine  Prison— Tasso's  Tomb— Cemetery  of  the  Capuchins— The 
Vatican — Galleries — Paintings — Quirinal  Palace— Spada — Festival  in  Sistine 
Chapel  — The  Pope— American  College  —  Excursion  to  Tivoli  — Hadrian's 
Villa 109 

X.-OLD  ROME-COLISEUM-CATACOMBS-CHRISTMAS. 

Ruins— Fountains— Capitol— Forum— Arch  of  Titus— Coliseum— Appian  "Way- 
Catacombs— Christmas  Holidays— Pope  and  Cardinals  at  Saint  Peter's— Bam- 
bino—Pope  at  the  Church  of  the  Jesuits— Priests  and  People— Romanism 
at  Home— Villas  and  Studios— Pincian  Hill-Italian  Sunset 121 

XI.-NAPLES-POMPEII-VESUVIUS-BAIJE-MALTA. 

New  Year— Rome  to  Naples— Herculaneum— Pompeii— House  of  Diomede— Bor- 
bonico  Museum— Ascent  of  Vesuvius-Lava—Tomb  of  Virgil— Puteoli— Lake 
Avernus-RuinsofBaiae-Malta ...135 


XII.-EGYPT-ALEXANDRIA-CAIRO. 

"  Land  of  Egypt"— Oriental  Sights— Donkey  Riding— Cleopatra's  Needle— Pom- 
pey's  Pillar  —  Catacombs  —  Pasha's  Palace— Bazaars— Alexandria  to  Cairo- 
Sight  of  the  Pyramids— Phases  of  Eastern  Life— Wedding— Mosques— Queer 
Test  — Dancing  Dervishes — Shoobra  Gardens— Petrified  Forest  —  Heliopolis— 
Aged  Sycamore— Fine  Obelisk 144 

XIII.-LAND  OF  MOSES-LIFE  ON  THE  NILE. 

Sacred  Associations  —  Missionaries— Sahitation  —  Dragoman  Engaged— On  the 
Nile-  Our  Party  —  Climate  —  River— Soil— Productions — Irrigation— Scenery- 
Villages— Sand  Storms— Girls— Fellaheen-Our  Crew— Devotions— Fare— Festi • 
val— Ghawazee— Funeral—  Quarrel 158 

XIV.— THEBES— ITS  TEMPLES  AND  TOMBS— DOWN  THE  RIVER. 

Grandeur  of  Thebes— Luxor— Mustapha  Aga-Karnak— Temples— Colossal  Stat- 
ues—Tombs of  the  Kings — Mummy  Pits — Down  the  Nile — Sights — Adventures 
—Turkish  Dignitary— Female  Wrath 171 

XV.— MEMPHIS— THE  PYRAMIDS— THE  RED  SEA. 

Pyramids  of  Sakkara— Image  of  Remeses— Tomb  of  Apis— Pyramids  of  Ghizeh— 
A  Dream  — Insolent  Arabs  — Ascent  of  the  Great  Pyramid  —  Interior  —  The 
Sphinx-Leaving  the  Nile— Excursion— The  Desert-Mirage-Red  Sea-Pas- 
sage of  the  Israelites— Wells  of  Moses 182 


CONTENTS.  vii 

XVI.— PALESTINE— JOPPA  TO  JERUSALEM. 

Entering  the  Holy  Land— Joppa-House  of  Simon— Oranges— Gate  of  the  City- 
Peter's  Vision- Dorcas— Hedges  of  Cactus— Plain  of  Sharon— Philistia— Lydda 
— Ramleh— Women  Weeping  at  a  Grave — Latron — Valley  of  Ajalon— Kirjath- 
jearim— First  Sight  of  Olivet  and  Jerusalem, 191 

XVII.-THE  HOLY  CITY-<>LIVET-CALVARY. 

Jaffa  Gate— Mount  Zion— Hotel— Pool  of  Hezekiah— House-top  View— Walk  to 
Olivet— The  Kedron— View  of  Jerusalem— Panorama— Paths  of  Jesus— House 
of  Pilate— Temple  Area— Via  Dolorosa— Calvary— Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre—Tomb of  Jesus 202 

XVIII.-A  WALK  ABOUT  ZION-BETHANY.     • 

A  Synagogue— Wailing-Place^-Relics  of  a  Great  Arch— Jews'  Quarter— Lepers- 
Armenian  Convent— Tomb  of  David— American  Cemetery— Lower  Pool  of  Gi- 
hon— Valley  of  Hinnom — En-Rogel — Valley  of  Jehoshaphat — Pool  of  Siloam — 
Tombs— Golden  Gate— English  Church— Walk  to  Bethany— Tomb  of  Lazarus 
— Passage  over  Olivet — Preaching  on  Mount  Zion 213 

XIX.-POOLS  OF  SOLOMON-HILL  COUNTRY-HEBRON. 

Hill  of  Evil  Council— Cultivated  Fields— Well  of  the  Wise  Men— Plain  of  Re- 
phaim— Convent  of  Elijah— Sight  of  Bethlehem— Tomb  of  Rachel— Pools  of 
Solomon  —  Fountain  Sealed — Contrast — ''Hill  Country  of  Judea" — Tekoa — 
Haunts  of  David— Beth-zur— Valley  of  Eschol— Hebron— Camping-Ground— 
Cave  of  Machpelah— Tent-Life .  .  225 

XX.— HOME  OF  THE  PATRIARCHS— BETHLEHEM— MAR  SABA. 

Breakfast— Hebron— Abraham's  Oak— Grape  Slips— Old  Aqueduct— Vale  of  Etam 
—Bethlehem— Church  of  the  Nativity— Stable  and  Manger— Convent  of  Santa 

Saba 238 

• 

XXI.-THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN. 

Our  Bedawin  Guard  —  Approach  to  the  Dead  Sea  —  En  gedi— Robbers— Lake 
Scenery— Sea  of  Death— Cities  of  the  Plain— A  Bath— River  Jordan— Nebo— 
Death  of  Moses— Prophets  ef  the  Jordan— Baptism  of  Christ— Bathing  of  the 
Pilgrims 247 

XXII  .-JERICHO  TO  JERUSALEM. 

Gilgal— Brook  Cherith— Roman  Jericho— City  of  Palm  Trees— Quarantania— Ap- 
ples of  Sodom— Fountain  ol'Elisha — Scripture  Sites — Adummim — Foot-steps  of 
Jesus— Place  of  Thieves— Mustapha— Bethany 260 

XXIII.— CITY  OF  THE  GREAT  KING-GETHSEMANE. 

Jerusalem— Upper  Pool  of  Gihon— Tombs  of  the  Kings— Quarry  under  the  City- 
Tomb  of  the  Virgin— Gethsemane  — Aged  Olive-Trees—Tearful  Emotions— 
Prayer-Meeting  in  the  Garden — Impressions — Pool  of  Bethesda 270 

XXIV.-BENJAMIN-GIBEON-GIBEAH-BETHEL. 

Mount  Scopus— Last  View  of  the  Holy  City— Heights  of  Benjamin— Nob— Miz- 
peh— Gibeon— Sun  Standing  Still— Gibeah— Rizpah's  Grief—  Raman— Beeroth 
—Bible  Topography  —  Bethel  and  its  Associations— Abraham  and  Lot— Battle 
of  Ai— Rimmon— Ophra, 2SO 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

XXV.-EPHRAIM-SHILOH-PLAIN  OF  MOEEH- JACOB'S  WELL. 

fertility  Amidst  Rocky  Desolation— Yebrud— Fountain  of  Robbers— Picturesque 
Scenes— Shiloh— Lebonah— Arab  Horses— Plain  of  Mukhna— Armed  Natives- 
Salutations— Jacob's  Well 293 

XXVI.-NABLUS-SHECHEM-MOUNT  GERIZIM. 

Tomb  of  Joseph— Vale  of  Nablus— Reading  the  Law— Shechem— Olive-Trees—As- 
cent of  Mount  Gerizim— Samaritan  Temple— A  Shrine— View  from  the  Summit 
—Samaritan  Synagogue— An  Old  Copy  of  the  Pentateuch— Lepers— Scenes  by 
the  Way— Shepherds— Bedawin 305 

XXVII.-SAMARIA-DOTHAN-PASSES  OF  MANASSEH. 

• 

The  "  Hill  Samaria"— Church  of  Saint  John— Grand  Colonnade— Inhabitants- 
Bible  Events— Jeba— Plain  of  Sanur— Tell  Dothain— Pits  or  Dry  Cisterns— Jo- 
seph Sold— A  Celestial  Army— Kubatieh— Jenin 315 

XXVIII.— PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON— JEZREEL— SHUNEM— NAIN. 

Valley  of  Megiddo— Verdure— Gilboa— Jezreel— Naboth's  Vineyard— Bethshean 
—Gideon's  Army— Battle  of  Mount  Tabor— Bedawin  Tents— The  Shunamite 
Woman— Little  Hermon— Visit  to  Nain— Endor— Saul  and  the  Witch 324 

XXIX.— MOUNT  TABOR  AND  THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE. 

Ascent  of  Tabor— First  Sight  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee— Magnificent  View— Scene  of 
the  Transfiguration— Trial  of  Baal  at  Carmel— The  New  Prophet— Fine  Morn- 
ing—Sons of  Ishmael— On  the  Bank  of  the  Lake— Tiberias— Hot  Springs..  .334 

XXX.  —  PLADl  OF  GENNESARETH  —  CAPERNAUM  —  SEA  OF 
GALILEE. 

Along  the  Shore— Magdala— '<  Land  of  Gennesaret"— Chinnereth— Bethsaida— 
Capernaum— Home  of  Jesus— Back  to  the  Tents— Sunday  at  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
—Services— Last  View  of  the  Lake— Poem 345 

XXXI— MOUNT  OF  BEATITUDES— CAN  A— NAZARETH. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount— Battle  of  Hattin— Cana— Vale  of  Nazareth— Church  of 
the  Annunciation — Work-shop  of  Joseph — Mensa  Christi — Girls  at  the  Foun- 
tain of  the  Virgin— Evening  in  Nazareth— Fine  View  from  the  Hill— Foot- 
prints of  Jesus— Sefurieh— Mt.  Carmel— Thunder-storm— Plain  of  Acre 357 

XXXII.— PHCENICIA— COAST  OF  TYRE  AND  SIDON. 

Saint  Jean  d'Acre— Achzib— High  Promontory— Alexander's  Tent— Ladder  of 
Tyre — Ras  el-'Ain — Aqueducts — Tyre,  its  Present  Aspect  and  Ruins — Paul's 
Visit— River  Leontes— A  Curious  Story— Roman  Relics— Sarepta— The  Poor 
Widow — Footsteps  of  Jesus — Approach  to  Sidon — Fruit  Gardens — A  Christian 
Family— Sidon  to  Beirut : 369 

XXXIII.— BEIRUT— SMYRNA— -CONSTANTINOPLE— ATHENS— HOME. 

Situation  of  Beirut— Dr.  Thomson— Sabbath  Service— Farewell  to  the  Holy 
Land— On  the  Mediterranean— Cyprus— Rhodes— Patmos— Sights  in  Smyrna— 
Mitylene  — Ilium  — Situation  of  Constantinople  — Saint  Sophia— Mosques- 
Tombs— Seraglio  Palace— Bosphorus  to  Black  Sea— Golden  Horn— Classic 
Shores  and  Islands— Athens  ;  its  Scenery  and  Temples— Mars'  Hill— Mount 
.<Etna— Messina— Marseilles— Paris— Homeward  Bound 381 

APPENDIX— Visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  the  Cave  of  Machpelah ...  393 


EUROPE,  EGYPT,  AND  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


THE  Old  "World!  It  had  been  for  years  my  eager 
desire  and  hope  to  see  it — to  be  a  pilgrim  in  its  lands 
historic  and  sacred,  with  which'  are  associated  the 
great  and  thrilling  events  of  the  past.  I  had  longed 
to  look  upon  its  mountains,  lakes,  and  rivers,  its  cities 
and  peoples,  its  monuments  and  ruins.  At  length,  by 
a  favoring  Providence,  the  way  was  prepared,  and  the 
preliminaries  of  the  tour  arranged.  The  City  of  Elms, 
arid  dear  friends,  offering  their  prayers  and  benedic- 
tions, were  left  behind  ;  and  on  a  beautiful  day  at 
noon  I  embarked  from  New  York  on  the  steamer  City 
of  Washington.  It  was  a  sad  moment,  parting  with 
those  who  had  accompanied  me  to  the  ship.  We 
watched  each  other,  I  on  deck  and  they  on  the  wharf, 
waving  our  handkerchiefs,  till  we  could  discern  each 
other  no  longer.  Then  there  were  tearful  eyes  on  ship 
and  shore.  Such  a  scene  and  one's  indescribable 
emotions  are  not  to  be  forgotten,  as  the  ship  begins  to 
move,  and  bears  him  away,  away,  till  friends  and 
native  land  fade  from  sight.  I  knew  but  one  of  the 
passengers,  the  Rev.  A.  D.  Gillette,  D.  D.,  of  New 
York,  my  genial  compagnon  du  voyage. 

1* 


10  SEA-LIFE — ICEBERGS ST.    JOHNS. 

The  weather  for  two  days  was  delightful,  though 
the  swell  of  the  sea  was  considerable  from  a  previous 
storm.  A  large  majority  of  the  passengers  were  sea- 
sick, some  of  them  severely  so,  scarcely  appearing  at 
the  table  during  the  voyage.  I  escaped  entirely ;  and 
notwithstanding  it  was  a  somewhat  long  and  rough 
passage,  I  enjoyed  it.  On  the  third  day  out,  we  met 
the  Persia,  and  exchanged  shouts  and  salutations. 
The  monotony  of  sea-life  is  broken  in  various  ways. 
Now  it  is  calm  and  clear,  and  the  sun  goes  down  to 
rest  in  a  bed  of  molten  gold.  Then  come  fogs  and 
rains  and  gales,  and  the  waves  roll  and  break  furiously, 
while  the  ship  careens  and  pitches  as  she  struggles  on. 
There  is  something  indescribably  grand  in  the  extent 
and  movements  of  "  this  great  and  wide  sea."  I 
watch  it  for  hours  with  constant  and  delightful 
thoughts  of  Him  who  holds  the  waters  in  the  hollow 
of  His  hand,  and  whose  footsteps  are  in  the  great 
deep.  I  had  longed  to  see  icebergs,  and  was  gratified. 
Among  several,  seen  at  different  times,  one  was 
gloriously  magnificent  and  beautiful,  as  it  loomed  up 
at  some  distance,  like  a  splendid  architectural  pile, 
with  domes  and  minarets  glittering  in  the  setting  sun. 
I  was  favored  also  with  the  sight  of  several  whales 
sporting  and  spouting,  and  partly  throwing  their  huge 
forms  out  of  the  sea.  The  sight  of  land  was  pleasant, 
as  we  entered  the  harbor  of  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland, 
to  take  the  passengers  of  the  Edinburgh,  wrecked  by 
an  iceberg,  among  whom  was  a  member  of  my  dear 
flock,  who,  in  the  hour  of  awful  peril,  was  calm  in  the 
hope  and  peace  which  Jesus  gives.  This  detention, 
and  constant  head-winds,  made  our  passage  long. 


SERVICES LAND   HO  ! BLARNEY    CASTLE.  11 

Many  agreeable  acquaintances  were  made  and  con- 
versations held,  to  be  remembered  as  a  perpetual 
pleasure.  The  number  of  passengers  was  large,  and 
the  regulations  of  the  ship  admirable.  Capt.  Petrie 
was  ever  cheerful,  and  unwearied  in  his  efforts  to 
make  all  comfortable  and  happy.  He  read  the  English 
Church  Service  on  each  of  the  two  Sabbaths,  and  on 
the  second,  two  sermons  were  also  preached  by 
Presbyterian  and  Baptist  ministers.  On  the  last 
evening  before  the  coast  of  the  Emerald  Isle  greeted 
our  glad  sight,  we  had  a  very  pleasant  literary  enter- 
tainment. Poems  were  read  and  recited,  speeches 
made,  and  son^s  sung.  Instead  of  proceeding  to 
Liverpool,  we,  with  several  others,  left  the  steamer  as 
she  touched  at  Queenstown,  on  the  evening  of  July 
1st.  We  had  been  over  thirteen  days  on  the  sea,  and 
it  was  grateful  to  stand  again  on  the  solid  ground. 
We  were  detained  but  a  little  by  the  Custom-house 
officers,  and  soon  found  comfortable  quarters  at 
Queen's  Hotel. 

My  first  day  in  Ireland  was  one  of  much  enjoyment. 
In  the  midst  of  objects  strange  and  novel,  excitement 
ran  high,  and  it  was  easy  to  laugh  or  to  weep.  The 
scenery  from  Queenstown  to  Cork,  and  thence  to 
Blarney  Castle,  is  various  and  enchanting.  Hills, 
valleys,  cultivated  fields,  flowing  streams,  fine  build- 
ings, and  old  ruins,  were  surveyed  with  delighted 
admiration.  This  old  castle,  containing  the  famous 
"  Blarney  Stone,"  is  a  grand  ruin,  covered  with  ivy, 
and  situated  amidst  beautiful  grounds.  We  climbed 
to  the  top  of  its  tower,  and  enjoyed  the  view  it 
presents. 


12  SABBATH   IN   KILLAKNEY THE   LAKES. 

The  same  afternoon  we  went  by  railway  to  Killarney, 
in  the  South  of  Ireland.  Everywhere  the  fields  looked 
green  and  rich,  bearing  good  crops,  and  making  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  miserable  mud-cabins  scat- 
tered among  them.  The  next  day  was  Sunday.  "We 
walked  from  the  Lake  Hotel,  about  two  miles,  to  the 
town,  over  a  fine  road  with  a  high  stone  wall  and 
locked  gates  each  side,  to  the  Episcopal  church,  where 
we  heard  from  a  curate  an  excellent  sermon,  evangel- 
ical and  earnest ;  but  the  audience  was  small.  Pas- 
sing up  the  principal  street  after  service,  we  found  it 
full  of  people,  ragged  and  filthy  for  the  most  part, 
looking  as  though  they  had  just  come  out  of  the 
wretched  huts,  matted  thickly  together,  and  forming 
the  queerest  looking  town  I  had  ever  seen.  I  was 
informed  that  many  of  these  people  were  from  the 
region  about,  and  had  come  to  hire  out  and  be  hired 
for  the  week.  We  called  at  the  Wesleyan  Chapel, 
and  saw  the  minister,  who  insisted  that  one  of  us 
should  preach  in  the  evening,  and  the  other  give  an 
account  of  the  American  revival,  in  which  they  were 
greatly  interested.  Dr.  Gillette  preached,  and  I  spoke 
of  the  revival,  more  particularly  as  I  had  witnessed  it 
in  my  own  city  and  congregation.  Out  of  a  popula- 
tion of  nine  thousand  in  this  town,  there  are  but  one 
hundred  Protestant  communicants.  The  multitudes 
are  ignorant,  degraded  Papists. 

The  next  day,  July  4th,  was  one  of  marked  interest. 
A  party  of  a  dozen  or  more  Americans,  mostly  fellow- 
voyagers  across  the  Atlantic,  made  the  tour  of  the 
mountains  and  lakes  of  Killarney.  We  rode  several 
miles  on  Irish  jaunting  cars,  a  vehicle  I  like  much  for 


FINE    SCENERY FOURTH    OF    JULY.  13 

its  ease  and  convenience.  It  lias  but  two  wheels,  and 
yoti  sit  back  to  back,  two  or  three  on  a  side,  looking 
into  the  fields  each  way.  One  horse  will  thus  easily 
draw  six  persons  besides  the  driver,  who  sits  in  front. 
We  then  walked  through  the  Gap  of  Dunloe,  passing 
the  cottage  of  Kate  Kearney.  The  scenery,  embrac- 
ing high,  conical,  bare  and  rocky  hills,  and  deep  vales, 
with  little  lakes  and  lively  streams  and  cascades,  is  at 
once  wild,  beautiful  and  grand.  We  were  followed 
by  jolly  Irish  peasant  girls,  some  with  bottles  of 
"  Mountain  Dew,"  a  kind  of  whiskey,  and  others  with 
goat's  milk,  pertinaciously  urging  us  to  buy  the 
"  punch,"  and  not  succeeding  they  begged  as  persis- 
tently for  pennies.  At  length  we  reached  by  a  long 
descent,  the  head  of  the  lakes,  where  we  took  boats, 
and  by  strong  arms  were  rowed  through  a  succession 
of  lovely  sheets  of  water,  linked  together  by  narrow 
crystal  outlets,  and  hemmed  around  by  mountainous 
cliffs  and  green  hills,  ever-changing  in  form,  as  we 
glided  along  a  circuit  of  many  miles,  till  we  reached 
our  hotel.  Now  and  then,  under  some  tall  cliff,  the 
bugle  was  sounded,  and  delightful  echoes  given.  As 
we  passed  Eagle's  Nest,  a  bird  of  Jove  soared  from  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  and  swept  over  our  heads. 
"  'Tis  the  Agle  of  Indepindence,"  shouted  one  of  the 
sturdy  oarsmen,  and  their  lusty  "hurrahs!"  sounded 
out  in  honor  of  the  glorious  Fourth  and  of  us  Amer- 
icans. 

We  had  made  arrangements  for  a  sort  of  extempo- 
raneous celebration  on  our  return.  We  had  a  fine 
dinner.  The  American  flag  was  hoisted  on  a  pole ; 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read ;  an  Ora- 


14  CELEBRATION LIMERICK DUBLIN. 

tion  and  Poem  were  delivered,  the  former  by  "William 
E.  Robinson,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  the  latter  fell  to  my 
lot ;  thirteen  toasts  were  proposed,  and  eloquent  and 
appropriate  speeches  made.  Dr.  Gillette  spoke  in 
behalf  of  the  clergy.  The  following  is  one  verse  of 

the  Poem : 

0,  Country  of  Freedom  ! 

What  music  to-day 
Breaks  over  thy  vastness 

With  jubilant  sway  ! 
I  hear  the  glad  sound 

Stealing  o'er  the  wide  sea, 
And  my  heart  beats  response 

To  the  Song  of  the  Free ! 

The  celebration,  all  of  which  was  in  good  taste  and 
order,  closed  with  a  moderate  display  of  fireworks. 
The  occasion  excited  much  pleasant  interest.  The 
editor  of  the  County  newspaper  was  present,  and 
published  in  his  next  issue  a  full  account,  including 
the  speeches  and  poem ;  and  we  saw  a  notice  of  the 
celebration  in  various  papers  of  the  kingdom. 

On  the  way  to  Dublin,  we  stopped  at  a  railway 
junction  and  made  an  excursion  to  Limerick,  and 
spent  two  hours  in  walking  about  that  old  city  and  on 
the  banks  of  the  Shannon.  "We  passed  several  days 
in  Dublin,  including  a  Sabbath.  It  is  a  fine  city,  con- 
taining many  objects  of  interest.  We  visited  the 
Botanical  Gardens,  Trinity  College,  on  Commence- 
ment day,  and  saw  students  in  their  black  gowns,  and 
Professors  in  their  red  ones  ;  the  Royal  Society,  con- 
taining many  ancient  relics  of  Ireland ;  and  Christ's 
and  St.  Patrick's  churches,  in  the  latter  of  which  Dean 
Swift  officiated,  and  was  buried.  The  Presbyterian 


PEESBYTERIAN   ASSEMBLY REVIVAL.  15 

General  Assembly  of  Ireland  was  in  session,  and  we 
attended  several  of  its  meetings,  which  were  of  marked 
interest,  especially  the  accounts  of  the  great  and  mar- 
velous religious  awakening  in  progress  in  the  North 
of  Ireland.  Some  of  the  ministers  said  there  had  been 
more  conversions  in  two  or  three  weeks  in  their  con- 
gregations, than  in  twenty  years  before.  Some  even 
of  the  ministers  had  been  converted,  confessing  that 
though  they  had  pleached  the  gospel  correctly,  they 
had  never  till  now  preached  it  with  Jesus  in  their 
hearts.  Convictions  are  deep,  striking  and  powerful. 
Many  are  prostrated  physically,  and  seem  to  lie  almost 
unconscious  for  awhile.  These  strange  bodily  mani- 
festations are  not  encouraged,  and  are  regarded  as 
accidents  of  a  great  and  glorious  work  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Meetings  are  held  nearly  every  evening,  the 
churches  are  crowded,  and  day  meetings  are  held  in 
the  open  air.  Some  of  the  converts  say  they  were 
awakened  by  letters  from  America.  Prayers  offered 
in  our  revival  meetings  are  no  doubt  being  answered 
in  Ireland.  We  heard,  one  evening,  an  address  from 
Brownlow  North,  Esq.,  and  formed  some  pleasant 
acquaintances  with  members  of  the  Assembly,  and  by 
invitation,  dined  with  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  in  whose 
church  they  met,  and  breakfasted  with  the  whole 
Assembly  in  the  Rotunda,  where  the  ladies  provided 
each  morning  for  about  four  hundred  ministers  and 
delegates.  We  dined  also  with  a  large-hearted  Elder, 
who  took  us  in  his  family  carriage  three  miles  out,  to 
the  Roebuck  House,  his  beautiful  suburban  residence, 
and  allowed  us  to  wander  over  his  richly  cultivated 


16 

gardens  and  gather  as  many  large  and  delicious  straw- 
berries as  we  chose. 

"We  were  kindly  entertained  also  by  the  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  church,  who  accompanied  us  to  the  beau- 
tiful region  in  the  County  of  Wicklow — including  a 
visit  to  Powerscourt  Waterfall,  and  the  Glen  of  the 
Downs — and  prevailed  on  us  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  give  some  sketches  of  the  work  of 
God  in  the  United  States.  His  people  were  very 
much  interested,  and  lingered  to  converse  with  us  after 

*  O 

service,  and  listen  to  some  of  the  hyms  and  tunes  sung 
in  our  revival  meetings.  We  were  introduced  to  sev- 
eral Episcopal  clergymen,  who  are  much  interested  in 
the  revival,  and  unite  with  others  in  prayer-meetings, 
and  we  dined  with  one  at  his  pleasant  manse  a  few 
miles  from  Dublin.  These  cordial  and  brotherly  greet- 
ings and  kind  hospitalities  evinced  a  generous  Chris- 
tian spirit,  and  were  gratefully  appreciated. 

Belfast,  which  we  next  visited,  is  a  thriving,  Amer- 
ican-like city.  On  our  way  thither  we  passed  through 
Drogheda,  where  the  battle  of  Boyne  was  fought,  July 
1,  1690.  The  venerable  Dr.  Cooke,  at  the  head  of 
the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  Ireland,  having  been  half 
a  century  in  the  service,  kindly  conducted  us  to  sever- 
al immense  linen  manufactories,  the  College  and  The- 
ological Seminary,  in  which  he  is  a  professor,  and  in- 
sisted on  our  dining  at  his  house.  We  passed  Bally- 
mena  on  our  way  to  Portrush,  and  saw  several  religious 
meetings  in  the  open  air  in  progress.  We  had  now 
reached  the  northern  coast  of  the  island,  and  were  in 
sight  of  the  far-famed  Giant's  Causeway.  A  few  miles 
by  jaunting  car  brought  us  to  the  spot.  But  we  paused 


ROUND   TOWERS — ROMANISM.  17 

mid-way  to  survey  the  grand  old  ruins  of  Dunluce 
Castle,  perched  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff  hundreds  of  feet 
above  the  sea.  It  is  impossible  to  give  an  adequate 
description  of  the  Giant's  Causeway,  familiar  from 
childhood  in  pictures  which  utterly  fail  to  delineate  it, 
It  is  a  magnificent  affair,  however,  wonderfully  bold 
and  unique  in  its  configurations,  embracing  deep  caves, 
bridge-like  abutments,  high  bluffs  and  perpendicular 
columns  of  basalt  and  trap. 

In  our  journeys  through  Ireland  we  noticed  not  only 
ruined  castles,  but  many  ancient  Round  Towers,  some 
of  them  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  They  commonly  stand  alone, 
and  their  origin  and  object  appear  to  be  wrapped  in 
mystery.  Ireland  is  more  beautiful  than  I  had  sup- 
posed, and  where  Protestantism  prevails,  the  people  are 
intelligent  and  thrifty;  but  it  is  all  the  reverse  under 
Romanism,  which  is  the  curse  of  the  country.  An- 
other evil  is  the  large  land-estates,  making  the  masses 
all  tenants.  There  are  great  extremes  among  the  peo- 
ple— the  rich  and  upper  class,  and  the  lower  class, 
very  poor,  with  hardly  any  that  may  be  called  a 
middle  class. 

There  is  a  marked  distinction  between  Ireland  and 
Scotland.  They  are  different  in  their  scenery,  differ- 
ent in  the  characteristics  of  the  people.  Indeed,  one 
is  struck  with  the  perceptible  change  in  various 
respects,  as  he  travels  from  the  center  to  the  North 
of  Ireland.  The  cabins  of  the  people  grow  better, 
their  language  is  more  Scottish,  the  accent  broader, 
and  they  look  better  and  thriftier  in  every  way.  This 
change  is  owing  to  the  more  general  prevalence  of 


18  TEIP  TO    SCOTLAND THE   HIGHLANDS. 

Protestantism  in  the  North.  Romanism  is  a  dead 
weight  upon  the  masses  who  adhere  to  it.  It  crushes 
the  very  life  of  liberty  and  enterprise  out  of  them. 
Happy  will  it  be  for  Ireland  when  its  terrible  yoke 
shall  be  broken.  The  present  glorious  revival  is  a 
star  of  hope  and  promise. 

We  had  a  fine  trip  by  steamer  from  Portrush  to 
Oban,  on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland.  It  took  us  from 
morning  till  late  at  night.  We  stopped  a  couple  of 
hours  at  Islay,  a  Scottish  island.  In  wandering  upon 
the  shore  and  through  a  village,  we  came  to  the  op^n 
door  of  a  school-room,  and  were  invited  in  by  the 
teacher.  He  called  up  a  class,  and  exhibited  their 
proficiency  in  various  branches  of  study.  They 
acquitted  themselves  well.  The  school-room  was 
attached  to  a  house  of  worship.  Here,  I  thought,  is  a 
symbol  of  Scottish  character — religion  and  education 
united.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  school- 
house  in  Ireland — none  in  the  rural  districts.  Another 
thing :  in  Scotland  you  meet  with  no  beggars.  In 
Ireland  they  are  as  thick  as  grasshoppers,  and  follow 
and  importune  you  with  an  almost  resistless  pertinacity. 

"We  had  many  a  fine  view  of  water  and  island,  of 
shore  and  mountain,  as  we  voyaged  along  through  the 
day.  Early  the  next  morning  we  took  another 
steamer,  and  went  still  farther  up,  through  Loch 
Linnhe  and  into  Loch  Levin,  passing  by  old  castles 
and  other  scenes  of  picturesque  and  romantic  interest. 
At  Ballahulish  we  took  a  coach  for  a  magnificent 
drive  of  more  than  forty  miles  through  the  Highlands ; 
and  long  shall  we  remember  that  day.  On  every 
hand  in  endless  diversity,  rose  grand  and  glorious 


LOMOND   AND   KATRINE TKOSSACHS.  19 

mountains,  crowned  with  alternate  mist  and  clouds 
and  glorious  sun-light,  and  in  one  instance  with  banks 
of  glittering  snow.  Now  the  lofty  slopes  were  ragged 
and  rocky,  and  then  they  were  covered  to  the  very 
summits  with  a  beautiful  grassy  verdure,  while  along 
the  rising  and  rounded  hill-sides  large  flocks  of  sheep, 
and  sometimes  antlered  deer,  were  feeding.  Now  a 
crystal  stream  like  a  silver  ribbon  came  gently  down 
the  far  declivities,  and  again  it  bounded  along,  leaping 
over  a  precipice  in  a  splendid  waterfall.  The  Pass  of 
Glencoe  is  grandly  wild.  We  looked  sadly  upon  the 
little  ruins  that  mark  the  spot  of  a  terrible  massacre. 

The  end  of  our  coach  ride  brings  us  to  the  head  of 
the  beautiful  and  mountain-hemmed  Loch  Lomond. 
A  little  steamer  takes  us  quietly  over  its  calm  surface, 
while  we  observe  its  romantic  surroundings,  and  gaze 
upon  spots  of  special  or  historic  interest.  We  almost 
expect  to  see  Rob  Roy  hurrying  into  his  cave.  The 
mist  for  a  moment  is  lifted  from  the  summit  of  Ben 
Lomond,  and  he  appears  as  if  standing  tip-toe  to  look 
over  into  the  charming  lake.  We  traverse  nearly 
the  whole  length  of  the  lake,  and  rest  for  the  night 
close  on  its  margin.  After  taking  a  morning  bath  in 
its  pure  water,  we  walk  to  Loch  Katrine,  smaller,  but 
if  possible  more  beautiful  and  romantic  than  Loch 
Lomond.  As  we  glide  over  its  surface,  by  Ellen's 
Isle,  and  under  the  shadow  of  Ben-venue,  the  charms 
with  which  Walter  Scott  has  invested  it  in  the  Lady 
of  the  Lake,  have  a  living  interest.  We  then  pass  by 
coach  through  the  Trossachs,  wild,  bristling  and  forest- 
covered  mountains,  and  along  the  shores  of  sweet 
little  lakes,  making  altogether  a  rich  variety  of  the 


20  STIRLING    CASTLE EDINBURGH. 

most  charming  and  sublime  scenery.  It  would  seem 
that  the  great  and  blessed  Creator  had  here  taken 
special  pains  to  awaken  in  the  minds  of  His  creatures 
an  admiration  for  His  handiworks,  and  a  holy  aspiration 
to  stand  at  length  by  the  river  of  life  and  the  heavenly 
hills. 

"We  reached  Edinburgh  by  rail  the  same  day, 
stopping  two  hours  at  Stirling.  The  old  castle  at  the 
latter  place  contains  many  relics  of  interest — the  pul- 
pit and  communion-table  of  John  Knox,  an  almost 
endless  variety  of  old  arms  and  armor,  and  various 
things  relating  to  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  who  was  here 
imprisoned.  The  views  from  the  elevated  castle  are 
about  as  splendid  as  human  eye  ever  beheld.  Battle- 
fields of  Wallace  and  Bruce  are  in  sight.  But  the 
wide,  green  fields,  fringed  with  hedges,  the  beautifully 
winding  rivers  Teith  and  Forth,  the  vales  and  wood- 
land hills,  on  which  the  slanting  sunbeams  fall  through 
the  clouds,  formed  an  enchanting  scene  long  to  be 
remembered,  and  vividly  suggestive  of  the  Land 
Beulah  and  the  Delectable  Mountains. 

Edinburgh  is  a  wonderfully  unique  and  picturesque 
city,  containing  much  to  interest  the  traveler.  We 
visited  Holyrood  Palace  and  Abbey,  and  there 
obtained  a  good  view  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  as  he 
went  out  for  a  walk  into  the  city.  He  resembles  the 
portraits  of  Victoria,  his  mother.  In  Edinburgh 
Castle  we  saw  the  regalia  of  Scotland,  including  the 
golden  and  jeweled  crown.  We  went  into  St.  Giles's 
church,  where  Knox  preached,  stood  on  the  spot 
where  he  was  buried,  and  went  to  the  house  where  he 
lived.  In  the  Advocates'  Library  we  saw  a  copy  of 


MELROSE — ABBOTSFORD DR.  CANDLISU.  21 

the  first  edition  of  the  Bible  printed  with  types,  and 
an  older  copy  in  manuscript ;  also  Scott's  Waverly  in 
manuscript,  and  a  finely  preserved  mummy,  supposed 
to  belong  to  the  house  of  Pharaoh.  There,  too,  we 
saw  the  old  Covenant  and  Confession  of  Faith,  with 
the  original  signatures.  What  a  world  of  varied 
thoughts  such  sights  awaken  ! 

We  made  a  delightful  excursion  to  Melrose  Abbey, 
wonderful,  though  in  ruins,  for  the  exquisite  beauty 
and  finish  of  its  architecture,  as  well  as  its  grand  pro- 
portions. Its  Gothic  arches,  great  windows,  and  fine 
statuary,  over  which  mosses  cling  and  ivies  creep  so 
gracefully,  seemed  like  enchantment  as 

<c  The  ruddy  light  of  morning  bold 
Streamed  o'er  the  ruin  gray  and  old." 

We  drove  to  Abbotsford,  the  splendid  residence  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  to  Dry  burgh  Abbey,  where  he 
was  buried.  In  the  various  rooms  he  once  occupied 
his  impress  lives  in  a  thousand  forms,  but  a  great- 
grandchild is  the  only  survivor  of  his  family. 

On  Sunday  we  regretted  the  absence  of  Dr.  Guthrie, 
but  heard  Dr.  Candlish.  His  manner  is  peculiar, 
nervous  and  twitching  ;  but  his  sermon  was  rich  and 
pungent  with  evangelical  truth.  I  heard  also  a  good 
discourse  from  Rev.  Mr.  Dickie,  of  the  oldest  Baptist 
church  in  Edinburgh,  and  enjoyed  a  pleasant  visit  at 
his  house.  With  the  family  of  Mr.  T.  G.  Douglas, 
formerly  of  New  Haven,  Ct,  I  had  a  most  delightful 
home  during  my  stay  in  the  city.  On  our  way  to 
England  we  stopped  awhile  in  Glasgow,  a  great  com- 
mercial city,  visiting  its  grand  old  Cathedral  and 
other  objects  of  interest. 


II. 

<5«gIanJr— Mate— Prtelr 

THE  rural  scenery  of  England  is  garden-like  and  beau- 
tiful. The  verdure  is  rich  and  velvety,  the  flowers 
have  bright  and  sparkling  hues,  and  the  fields,  divided 
into  small  lots  by  green  hedges  and  ornamental  trees, 
present  a  picturesque  and  charming  appearance.  We 
were  passing  through  the  heart  of  the  island,  when  the 
reapers  were  everywhere  harvesting  the  golden  wheat. 
It  was  a  fine  sight,  and  the  crop  seemed  to  be  good 
and  large.  It  is  strange  to  me  not  to  see  any  Indian 
corn  growing.  None  is  raised  here ;  it  would  not 
ripen  in  this  climate. 

In  passing  from  Glasgow  to  Liverpool  we  had  a  fine 
view  of  the  country.  "We  stopped  at  Beattock,  and 
walked  in  the  evening  two  or  three  miles  to  the  little 
village  of  Moffat,  where  there  is  a  celebrated  sulphur 
well,  the  resort  of  numerous  invalids,  whom  we  saw 
early  the  next  morning,  making  their  way  to  the  foun- 
tain to  drink  of  the  nauseous  but  healing  water.  At 
Carlisle  we  left  the  train  again,  and  wandering  over 
the  city,  visited  its  old  Cathedral.  We  passed  through 
Fenrith  and  Lancaster,  observing  a  venerable  feudal 
castle  at  the  former  place.  We  reached  Liverpool  in 
the  evening,  and  were  directecl  to  the  Crooked  Billet 
Hotel. 


CAERNARVON    AND   LIVERPOOL.  23 

Next  we  made  a  pleasant  excursion  into  "Wales,  as 
far  as  Caernarvon,  stopping  a  little  time  at  the  inter- 
esting old  town  of  Chester,  and  walking  on  its  ancient 
wall.  Beautiful  and  striking  scenery — mountain  and 
river,  sea  and  island — greeted  us  all  the  way.  Con- 
way  and  Caernarvon  have  their  splendid  old  castles. 
The  Tubular  Railway  Bridge  over  the  Menai  Straits, 
near  Bangor,  is  a  wonderful  triumph  of  skill.  Caer- 
narvon is  a  place  of  much  interest.  Its  castle  is  a 
most  magnificent  ruin.  Its  massive  and  lofty  walls, 
surmounted  with  towers,  enclose  an  area  of  about 
three  acres.  We  ascended  to  the  top  of  the  highest 
tower,  and  entered  the  little  room  where  Edward  II. 
was  born,  the  first  Saxon  Prince  of  "Wales.  From  a 
high  hill  back  of  the  town  we  saw  the  Snowdon  moun- 
tains, and  Snowdon  itself,  rising  in  bold  and  shadowy 
grandeur  a  few  miles  from  us.  "We  chanced  to  meet 
a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  conducted  us  to 
the  plain  chapel  where  the  eloquent  Christmas  Evans 
preached  for  some  years,  and  where  he  sat  under  his 
ministry.  Glorious  "  specimens  of  "Welch  preaching  " 
those  walls  have  often  heard.  The  "Welch  language 
and  peculiar  costume  of  the  old  women,  especially 
with  their  black  far  or  silk  stovepipe  hats,  are  still  in 
vogue. 

"We  visited  St.  George's  Hall,  and  other  public 
buildings  in  Liverpool.  "We  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing on  the  Sabbath,  and  also  of  enjoying  pleasant 
social  interviews  with,  Rev.  Hugh  Stowell  Brown,  for 
fourteen  years  pastor  of  one  of  the  Baptist  churches, 
and  the  most  popular  preacher  in  the  place.  His 
house  of  worship  is  being  enlarged,  so  as  to  furnish 


24:  REV.    H.    S.    BROWN    AND   DR.    RAFFLES. 

sittings  for  2,200  people.  The  large  hall  where  we 
heard  him  was  entirely  filled.  He  is  preaching  a 
course  of  sermons  on  the  Gospel  by  John.  His  text, 
that  morning,  was — "  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I 
have  chosen  you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go 
and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should 
remain."  He  first  considered  the  fact  that  Christ's 
disciples  are  chosen  or  selected  by  Him,  and  secondly, 
the  purpose  for  which  they  are  chosen.  It  was  an 
excellent  sermon,  sound,  clear,  practical.  Mr.  Brown 
is  an  easy,  fluent  speaker,  adapting  himself  to  the 
comprehension  of  the  masses.  He  is  the  son  of  a 
clergyman  of  the  Established  Church,  and  his  age,  I 
think,  is  thirty-six.  He  is  not  tall,  but  solid  in  form, 
is  in  robust  health  and  vigor,  and  of  manly  appear- 
ance. May  he  long  hold  forth  the  word  of  life  with 
power  and  success. 

A  letter  of  introduction  gave  us  a  very  pleasant 
interview  with  Rev.  Dr.  Raffles,  now  in  the  fiftieth 
year  of  his  ministry.  He  received  us  with  the  great- 
est cordiality  and  affability.  I  had  made  a  suggestion 
of  going  to  the  place  where  his  immediate  predecessor, 
the  youthful  and  eloquent  Thomas  Spencer,  was 
drowned.  Dr.  Raffles  showed  us  a  manuscript  note- 
book, in  which  Spencer  had  recorded  his  texts  from 
the  time  he  began  to  preach.  He  spoke  of  the  recent 
American  edition  of  his  Life  of  Spencer,  and  of  the 
handsome  style  in  which  Messrs.  Sheldon  &  Co.  had 
issued  it.  The  day  of  this  interview  we  went  to  Lon- 
don, and  the  first  news  we  heard  from  home,  was  the 
death  of  KINGMAN  NOTT,  so  like  that  of  Spencer.  It 
was  a  sad  shock  and  heavy  grief  to  us,  for  we  knew 


UNK 


BEDFORD    AND   ELSTOW — BUNYAN.  25 

our  young  brother  well,  and  loved  him,  how  much! 
Other  well  known  brethren  in  the  ministry  had  fin- 
ished their  work  also — in  so  short  a  time  had  death 
plucked  a  goodly  cluster. 

Our  next  excursion  was  to  several  deeply  interesting 
places  once  hallowed  by  the  presence  and  deeds  of  the 
great  and  good.  First  we  went  to  Bedford,  leaving 
London  early  in  the  morning,  July  27th.  As  we  en- 
tered the  town,  and  were  crossing  the  bridge  over  the 
Ouse,  with  what  intense  interest  we  gazed  on  the  spot 
where  stood  the  jail  in  which  Bunyan  was  a  prisoner 
so  long,  and  where  the  immortal  allegory  had  its  birth  ! 
The  little  river  flows  on  as  when  he  saw  it  from  his 
grated  window,  but  not  a  vestige  of  the  jail  remains. 
"  It  was  at  that  corner  of  the  street,"  said  our  guide, 
as  we  passed  along,  "  that  Bunyan  heard  the  pious 
women  talking  of  religion."  This  was  before  his  con- 
version. We  went  to  the  house  of  worship,  a  largo 
and  substantial  one,  which  occupies  the  site  of  that  in 
which  Bun3ran  preached.  In  the  vestry  we  sat  in  a 
chair  once  owned  and  used  by  him,  and  for  which  a 
large  sum  of  money  has  been  repeatedly  offered  and 
refused.  We  saw  some  relics  of  his  also,  particularly 
a  little  cabinet  or  tool  box,  now  kept  by  the  pastor  of 
the  church,  Rev.  Mr.  Jukes.  A  pleasant  drive 
brought  us  to  Elstow,  and  to  the  cottage  in  which  the 
glorious  tinker  was  born.  We  stood  within  the  walls 
that  were  once  his  home.  There  he  mended  pots  and 
pans,  and  there,  doubtless,  he  wrote  some  of  his 
delightful  books.  We  gave  the  good  lady  of  the  cottage, 
who  kindly  received  us,  a  shilling  or  so  for  her  trouble, 
and  she  gave  us  some  nice  plum-pudding,  just  taken 

2 


26  CARDINGTON   AND   KETTERING FULLEK. 

smoking  from  the  pot.  I  plucked  a  leaf  from  a  grape, 
vine  clambering  up  the  side  of  the  cottage,  and 
enclosed  it  in  my  next  letter,  that  it  might  be  looked 
upon  by  dear  eyes  at  home. 

Another  short  drive  brought  us  to  Cardington,  the 
beautiful  residence  of  the  immortal  John  Howard,  and 
from  which  he  exiled  himself  that  he  might  labor  amid 
peril  and  pestilence,  for  the  benefit  of  wretched  prison 
inmates.  He  was  both  a  true  philanthropist  and  hero 
and  will  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance.  We, 
entered  the  house  in  which  he  lived,  and  walked 
under  stately  trees  which  he  planted  amid  those 
charming  grounds.  The  place  is  now  occupied  by  a 
member  of  Parliament. 

The  same  day  found  us  at  Kettering,  a  name  and 
place  forever  to  be  associated  with  the  history  of  mod- 
ern missions — hallowed,  too,  as  the  scene  of  Andrew 
Fuller's  pastoral  labors,  and  the  spot  where  his 
precious  dust  reposes.  It  is  a  small,  pleasant  town, 
occupying  a  gradual  slope.  We  made  our  way  to  the 
Baptist  chapel.  A  good  woman  opened  its  door,  and 
when  she  found  we  were  Baptist  ministers  from 
America,  she  warmly  grasped  our  hands,  saying  she 
must  give  us  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  "  Do  you 
remember  Andrew  Fuller  ?"  "  O  yes,  I  was  a  little  girl 
in  the  gallery  yonder,  and  recollect  his  preaching 
well."  More  than  forty  years  have  passed  since  those 
lips,  touched  with  sacred  fire  and  heavenly  wisdom, 
were  sealed  in  death;  yet  the  place  seems  instinct 
with  his  presence.  The  same  room  and  pews,  the 
same  pulpit  and  communion  table,  that  witnessed  his 
ministrations,  remain.  A  marble  tablet  to  his  memory 


BAPTIST   MISSIONS NOETHAMPTON.  27 

graces  the  wall.  We  stand  in  his  pulpit,  ready  to  take 
off  our  shoes,  and  long  and  pray  for  the  mighty  soul 
of  piety  that  lived  and  wrought  in  him.  Our  feelings 
are  deepened  as  we  go  a  few  steps  and  linger  at  his 
tomb.  O  rare  and  excellent  man  of  God  !  well  didst 
thou  do  thy  blessed  work,  and  thy  rest  is  glorious !  We 
entered  the  parsonage  where  Fuller  lived  and  died, 
and  were  kindly  received  by  Mrs.  Mursell,  wife  of  the 
present  pastor,  who  was  absent. 

Up  that  street,  yonder,  the  great  and  good  Dr.  John 
Gill,  the  learned  commentator,  was  born.  A  little 
farther  down  the  slope,  and  in  reaching  the  place  we 
pass  the  chapel  of  the  Bev.  Mr.  Toller,  the  friend  of 
Kobert  Hall,  is  the  memorable  spot  where  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  was  formed  in  1792,  the  first  of 
those  great  modern  movements  for  the  world's  evan- 
gelization. We  are  kindly  admitted  to  the  room,  and 
as  we  stand  there,  the  reverend  forms  of  those  saintly 
and  large-hearted  men  are  imaged  to  our  view.  We  go 
to  the  rear  of  the  dwelling,  and  see  the  beautiful  lawn 
where  the  jubilee  was  celebrated  in  1842.  A  son  of 
Mr.  Toller,  the  Independent  minister  referred  to  above ? 
constrained  us  to  go  to  his  house,  where  we  were  en- 
tertained by  himself  and  his  very  interesting  family  in 
the  most  cordial  and  hospitable  manner.  He  showed 
us  many  rare  letters  and  autographs,  and  the  biogra- 
phical sketch  of  his  father  in  manuscript,  just  as  Rob- 
ert Hall  wrote  it. 

Northampton  is  not  far  off.  We  visited  it  the  next 
morning.  Here  the  Rylands  lived  and  labored,  and 
here  Mr.  J.  E.  Ryland  still  lives.  He  is  the  author, 
editor,  or  translator  of  several  important  works, 


28  OLNEY,    KENILWOKTH   AND   WAEWICK. 

among  them  tlie  Life  and  Letters  of  John  Foster.  We 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  few  moments  in  his  society. 
From  the  Baptist  chapel  where  the  Rylands  preached, 
we  went  to  that  of  the  heavenly  Doddridge,  entered 
his  vestry  and  his  pulpit,  lifting  up  our  hearts  to  God 
for  rich  measures  of  the  grace  that  dwelt  in  him.  We 
saw  the  pew  occupied  by  Col.  Gardiner.  The  chair, 
table,  and  little  mirror  which  Doddridge  used  are  still 
in  the  vestry.  Here  the  Rise  and  Progress  was 
written. 

Our  next  pilgrimage  was  to  Olney,  the  residence  of 
William  Cowper.  We  found  access  to  his  dwelling, 
and  to  the  little  summer-house  in  his  garden,  where 
he  wrote  "  The  Task,"  and  many  of  his  hymns.  We 
sang  there,  perhaps  in  the  very  place  where  they  were 
written,  those  heavenly  lines  : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 

Drawn  from  ImmanuePs  veins, 
And  sinneis  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 

Lose  all  their  guilty  stains.'' 

Here,  too,  the  excellent  John  Newton  preached  and 
wrote,  contributing  his  portion  of  the  "  Olney 
Hymns."  Thomas  Scott,  the  commentator,  labored 
here  also.  We  entered  the  old  church,  that  has  often 
echoed  to  their  voices. 

These  two  days  will  long  be  remembered.  Our 
pleasure  was  heightened  by  the  company  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Stow  and  Eev.  W.  C.  Child,  of  Boston.  They 
returned  to  London,  and  we  proceeded  to  Coventry, 
and  then  to  Kenilworth  and  Warwick,  whose  grand 
old  ivy-colored  castles  we  wandered  through,  and 


STRATFORD,    LEAMINGTOX    AND    OXFORD.  29 

afterwards  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Stratford-on-Avon. 
Its  principal  attraction  is  a  common  dwelling,  with 
this  inscription  over  the  door  :  "  In  this  house  the  im- 
mortal Shakespeare  was  born."  The  room  in  which 
the  great  poet  first  saw  the  light  is  entirely  covered 
with  the  names  of  visitors.  He  was  buried  in  the  old 
church  in  the  town,  and  its  fine  organ  was  being 
played  when  we  entered  it.  A  bust  of  the  poet  stands 
near  his  grave.  Along  side  are  the  tombstones  of  his 
wife  and  daughter.  I  was  interested  in  the  lines  upon 
the  latter  : 

"  "Witty  above  her  sex,  but  that's  not  all, 
Wise  to  salvation  was  good  Mistress  Hall ; 
Something  of  Shakespeare  was  in  that,  but  this 
Wholly  of  Him  with  whom  she's  now  in  bliss." 

Leamington,  where  we  took  a  coach  for  Stratford, 
is  a  fine  town,  and  in  some  respects  the  Saratoga  of 
England,  having  a  spring,  whose  water,  though  in- 
ferior in  taste,  is  yet  in  effect  much  like  that  of  the 
Congress  Spring.  Multitudes  resort  to  it. 

"We  went  by  railway  to  Oxford,  a  place  renowned 
from  the  days  of  King  Alfred  to  the  present.  Here 
Richard  Coeur-de-Lion  was  born,  and  Wickliffe  was 
master  of  a  college.  The  city  has  various  attractions, 
but  the  University  is  the  absorbing  one.  We  got  weary 
in  trying  to  see  the  various  college  buildings  and 
grounds.  They  are  very  numerous.  Some  of  the 
edifices  are  very  old,  and  full  of  historical  interest, 
and  some  of  the  grounds  are  beautifully  laid  out  and 
decorated.  Some  fine  walks  are  shaded  by  grand  old 
elms.  But  the  elms  of  England  are  inferior  to  our 
own.  Their  boughs  are  not  so  branching  and  stately, 


30  STONEIIENQE ISLE    OF    WIGHT. 

so  Gothic  and  graceful  as  ours.  They  look  more  like 
ash  trees.  We  found  the  spot,  marked  by  a  stone 
cross  in  the  middle  of  a  street,  where  the  martyr  Bish- 
ops, Cranmer,  Latimer  and  Ridley  were  burnt.  Not 
far  off,  a  fine  monument  has  been  erected  to  their 
memory.  We  returned  again  to  London. 

A  subsequent  visit  to  Southampton,  and  interesting 
excursions  from  that  place,  are  among  the  pleasant 
memories  of  England.  Southampton  itself  has  attrac- 
tions as  a  fine  and  flourishing  city.  A  Thursday  even- 
ing service  at  the  Baptist  chapel,  furnished  occasion 
for  a  brief  interview  with  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  A.  Spur- 
geon,  a  brother  of  the  celebrated  London  preacher. 
He  has  popular  gifts,  and  a  large  and  growing  congre- 
gation. Salisbury  is  easily  reached  by  rail.  I  visited 
its  splendid  Cathedral,  and  took  a  drive  over  the  plain 
— where  shepherds  are  still  found  with  their  flock& — • 
to  the  curious  old  Druid  temple  at  Stonehenge.  It  is 
an  ancient  ruin,  consisting  of  huge,  rough  stone  shafts, 
mostly  in  an  upright  position,  and  arranged  jn  con- 
centric circles.  Another  long  day  on  the  charming 
Isle  of  Wight  was  full  of  lively  interest.  We  reached 
Ryde  by  steam,  and  then  enjoyed,  amidst  lovely  and 
romantic  scenery,  pleasant  drives  to  Newport — to 
Carisbrook  Castle,  a  historical  and  splendid  ruin — to 
Arreton,  passing  near  where  the  "  Young  Cottager  " 
lived,  visiting  the  old  church,  and  lingering  at  the 
hallowed  grave  of  the  "  Dairyman's  Daughter,"  in  the 
rear  of  it.  Returning  to  the  steamer  at  Cowes,  we 
passed  near  the  Osborn  House,  the  beautiful  summer 
residence  of  the  Queen. 


III. 

— limlnll  |iefos— 

is  a  kind  of  world  in  itself.  Think  of  three 
millions  of  people  in  one  city  !  What  do  they  all  do? 
How  do  they  live?  Where  do  they  sleep  ?  Ah  !  how 
many  phases  of  human  life,  in  all  its  contrasts  of  good 
and  evil,  of  comfort  and  misery,  does  this  great  me- 
tropolis present!  LONDON!  the  very  sound  of  it  is 
suggestive  of  sonorous  confusion  and  indefinite  ampli- 
tude, and  other  things  indescribable.  It  is  a  good 
place  for  one  to  feel  humble,  and  how  like  a  very  atom 
he  is  in  the  world.  He  may  drop  into  the  dust,  or 
float  away  in  the  air,  and  who  cares  ?  But  to  the 
Christian,  how  precious  is  the  doctrine  of  God's  spe- 
cial providence  !  He  regards  with  particular  care 
and  infinite  love  the  least  and  feeblest  of  His  trust- 
ing children.  He  who  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars, 
and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names — O,  is  it  not  a 
blessed  thought  that  He  is  my  Eefuge,  and  under- 
neath me  are  the  Everlasting  Arms  ! 

I  can  only  allude  to  some  of  the  sights  and  scenes 
of  London  and  vicinity.  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  is  a 
magnificent  structure.  I  ascended  to  the  ball,  the 
highest  accessible  point,  406  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  enjoyed  a  splendid  view  of  the  city  and  country 


32  IN   AND   ABOUT   LONDON. 

about.  "Westminster  Abbey,  with  its  historical  asso- 
ciations and  monuments  of  sleeping  dead,  kings,  no- 
bles and  poets,  is  replete  with  interest.  The  Tower 
of  London,  terrible  in  its  connection  with  imprison- 
ments, sufferings  and  violent  deaths,  one  visits  with  a 
sense  of  awe.  The  British  Museum  and  the  Crystal 
Palace  are  so  ample  in  their  dimensions,  and  contain 
such  a  wonderful  variety  of  things,  antique  and  mod- 
ern, that  one  is  bewildered  and  astonished.  Hampton 
Court,  the  ancient  home  of  Church  and  State  digni- 
taries, and  Windsor  Castle,  the  residence  of  the  royal 
family,  in  all  their  appointments  and  surroundings, 
their  furniture  and  paintings  are  on  a  scale  of  magnifi- 
cence that  must  be  seen  to  be  comprehended.  The 
entrance  to  the  former  and  its  flower-gardens,  and  the 
view  of  the  country  around  the  latter,  are  charming 
beyond  description. 

The  Houses  of  Parliament  are  splendid.  We  saw 
the  members  sitting  on  their  benches  facing  each 
other,  and  with  their  hats  on,  and  listened  to  a  few  in- 
different speeches.  The  lions  were  not  roused.  The 
Zoological  Gardens  are  very  extensive  and  the  speci- 
mens of  beast,  bird  and  fish  numerous.  The  Thames 
Tunnel  is  more  curious  than  useful.  Madame  Tus- 
saud's  exhibition  of  wax  figures  and  curiosities  is  very 
attractive.  Kichmond  Hill  and  the  Parks  of  London 
are  worthy  of  special  notice. 

But  no  place  interested  me  more  than  Bunhill 
Fields  Cemetery.  There  is  the  tomb  of  John  Bunyan. 
I  hastened  to  it.  No  path  is  so  well  trodden  as  that 
which  leads  to  the  grave  of  the  Tinker  of  Elstow.  O, 
it  is  a  sacred  spot !  and  as  I  stood  by  that  substantial, 


THE   TOMB    OF   BUNYAN.  33 

oblong  monument,  I  tearfully  longed  for  more  of  the 
Christ-like  spirit  that  gave  such  a  depth  and  richness 
and  heavenly  glow  to  the  piety  of  the  Immortal  Alle- 
gorist.  The  simple  inscription  is — "  Mr.  JOHN  BUN- 
YAN,  Author  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  Obt.  31st  Au- 
gust, 1688,  JE.  60."  The  following  verses  were  in- 
spired by  the  visit,  and  a  part  of  them  were  written 
while  I  was  sitting  on  the  pedestal  of 

BUNYAN'S  TOMB. 

Thou  prince  of  dreamers  !  I  have  found 

The  place  of  thy  last  sleeping, 
And  grateful  tread  this  hallowed  ground, 

"With  mingled  joy  and  weeping. 

Dear  Bunyan  !  long  I've  loved  thy  name 

More  than  my  words  can  measure, 
And  long  shall  pilgrims  hold  thy  fame 

A  sweet  and  precious  treasure. 

Thou  wast  a  burning,  shining  light 

In  thy  blest  sphere  of  duty, 
Though  then  unknown  a  star  so  bright, 

So  rich  in  heavenly  beauty. 

God  raised  thee  from  thy  lowly  place, 

Thou  plain,  untutored  thinker ; 
And  gave  thee,  ah  !  what  gifts  of  grace, 

0  wondrous  Elstow  tinker ! 

Thy  heart  and  tongue  His  Spirit  fired, 
"When  from  His  foe,  He  gained  thee  : 

To  preach  His  truth,  He  called,  inspired, 
Commissioned  and  ordained  thee. 

"What  crowds  beneath  thy  earnest  voice — 

Thy  zeal  to  save  them  burning — 
Were  made  to  weep,  believe,  rejoice, 

From  sin  to  Jesus  turning ! 


34:  THE    TOMB    OF   BUNYAN. 

Satan  or  man — ay,  both,  no  doubt, 

With  mischievous  endeavor, 
Put  thee  in  jail,  to  thus  put  out 

Thy  kindled  flame  forever. 

Celestial  genius  would  not  die, 
Through  years  of  long  confining, 

Whilst  thou,  with  comfort  from  the  sky, 
Wast  cheerful,  unrepining. 

Methinks  within  thy  dungeon's  gloom 

A  light  divine  had  risen, 
To  make  it  Glory's  ante-room, 

Though  still  thy  Bedford  prison. 

How  clearly  there  the  heavenly  path 

Rose  on  thy  spirit's  vision, 
That  from  the  city  doomed  to  wrath, 

Leads  to  the  blest  Elysian. 

Then  passed  before  thee  in  thy  dream 

A  happy  band  and  saintly ; 
Thy  pictures  make  them  real  seem, 

Though  oft  a  little  quaintly. 

I  love  to  trace  their  pathway  o'er, 
And  hear  their  joyful  singing, 

Till,  through  the  stream,  they  reach  the  shore 
Where  angel-harps  are  ringing. 

Keep,  Bunhill  Fields,  his  precious  dust, 
Housed  in  thy  rare  collection — 

How  fair  he'll  shine  among  the  just 
In  the  groat  resurrection ! 

Immortal  dreamer  !  slumbering  here, 
How  sweet  thy  Pilgrim's  story; 

On  thy  blest  tomb  I  drop  a  tear, 
And    envy  thee   in  glory. 


SMITUFIELD — LONDON    PREACHERS.  35 

A  jewel-studded  crown — liow  bright! 

To  thy  dear  head  is  given : 
May  I  be  found  with  thee  in  light, 

A  pilgrim  safe  in  heaven. 

That  cemetery  is  full  of  precious  dust.  It  is  a 
necropolis  of  dissenting  ministers.  I  stood  by  the 
graves  of  Watts,  Owen,  Gill,  Rippon,  Hart,  Ivemy, 
and  the  mother  of  John  Wesley,  whose  grave  and  that 
of  Adam  Clarke  I  found  across  the  street  in  the  rear 
of  a  Methodist  chapel. 

Not  far  from  Bunhill  Fields  is  the  district  of  old 
Smithfield,  which  every  one  familiar  with  the  ISTew 
England  Primer,  will  recollect  as  the  place  where 
John  .Rogers,  the  martyr,  was  burnt  at  the  stake.  I 
tried  to  identify  the  exact  spot,  but  no  one  knew  pre- 
cisely where  it  was,  only  it  was  somewhere  in  that  lit- 
tle open  space.  In  crossing  and  re-crossing  it  I 
probably  stood  on  the  very  place  where  the  good  man 
resigned  his  soul  to  the  chariot  of  fire. 

A  word  about  some  of  the  London  preachers.  The 
last  Sunday  in  July  I  heard  Mr.  Spurgeon  at  the 
great  Music  Hall  in  Surrey  Gardens.  I  went  early 
and  got  a  good  seat.  For  more  than  an  hour  the  peo- 
ple came  thronging  in,  till  the  immense  building  was 
entirely  filled.  Mr.  Spurgeon  entered  at  a  quarter  to 
eleven,  and  as  he  ascends  the  pulpit  you  recognize 
him  at  once  from  his  portraits,  though  he  looks  rather 
better  than  the  best  ot  them.  He  glances  over  the 
vast  assembly,  which  is  now  hushed  to  silence,  bows 
his  head  a  moment  on  the  pulpit  cushion,  and  then 
gives  out  the  hymn,  commencing, 

"There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood." 


36  MR.  SPURGEON'S  PREACHING 

He  reads  a  part  of  it  with  a  full,  clear  voice,  which 
rings  in  rich,  mellow  tones  through  every  part  of  the 
Hall.  He  then  tells  them  to  sing  with  heart  and 
voice,  reading  each  verse  before  it  is  sung.  A  leader 
in  front  of  the  pulpit  names  the  tune.  A  short,  earnest 
prayer  follows.  Then  he  reads  the  fourth  chapter  of 
Hebrews,  making  striking  and  delightful  comments 
as  he  passes  from  verse  to  verse.  At  the  closing  verse 
he  says,  "  We  are  called  upon  to  approach  the  throne 
of  grace ;  let  us  therefore  all  rise  and  sing  one  stanza 
before  prayer — 

"  Come,  my  soul,  thy  suit  prepare, 

Jesus  loves  to  answer  prayer ; 

He  himself  has  bid  thee  pray, 

Rise  and  ask  without  delay." 

The  assembly  rise  and  sing  it.  A  longer  prayer  fol- 
lows, in  which  various  classes  and  the  wants  of  the 
world  are  remembered.  He  then  announces  the  hymn 
and  reads  it,  and  it  is  sung  as  before — 

"  Rock  of  Ages  !  shelter  me." 

Ele  says  he  hopes  all  wrill  sing;  and  whoever  sings 
this  hymn  with  the  heart,  is  not  far  from  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Coming  to  the  last  verse,  he  says,  "  Sing  the 
next  four  lines  very  solemnly."  He  reads  them  with 
a  subdued  voice,  and  the  congregation  sing  them  as  he 
requests,  with  good  effect,  but  very  properly  let  their 
voices  out  fully  on  the  two  closing  lines.  He  then 
announces  his  text :  Matt.  xi.  29 — "  I  am  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart."  He  presented  the  meek  and  lowly 
character  of  Christ  as  a  reason  why  sinners  should 
come  to  Him.  He  preached  an  hour,  and  all  listened 


AND    SERVICES — DR.    GUMMING.  37 

with  deep  and  silent  attention,  and  often  a  tear  drop- 
ped here  and  there  from  many  a  moistened  eye. 
Numbers  stood  through  the  whole  service,  as  did  the 
preacher  himself,  not  once  taking  his  seat  after  he  en- 
tered the  pulpit.  His  manner  of  conducting  the  ser- 
vice is  an  element  of  his  success.  He  seems  like 
a  general  at  the  head  of  an  army,  marshaling  his  hosts 
and  inspiring  every  heart.  He  sings  with  the  congre- 
gation, whose  many  voices  swell  the  volume  of  praise 
to  heaven  with  thrilling  effect.  Immediately  after  the 
sermon,  or  a  notice  given,  he  dismissed  the  assembly 
with  the  benediction.  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  just  as 
I  expected  he  would,  and  as  you  would  expect  him  to, 
after  reading  one  of  his  sermons.  He  is  simple,  direct, 
earnest,  fluent,  and  has  a  clear  and  commanding- 
voice.  I  heard  him  the  next  Thursday  evening  in  his 
own  chapel,  and  saw  him  baptize  thirteen  converts. 
I  saw  him  in  his  vestry  after  service,  and  was  very 
cordially  received  and  invited  to  visit  him  at  his  house 
the  next  day.  I  spoke  of  the  interest  manifested 
toward  him  and  his  sermons  in  the  United  States.  Ho 
seemed  gratified,  and  gave  me  a  handsome  book,  with 
his  autograph,  for  a  member  of  my  family.  I  heard 
him  preach  again  the  next  Sunday  morning  on  Blind 
Bartimeus  with  the  same  deep  interest.  His  new  and 
magnificent  Tabernacle  is  in  process  of  erection.  May 
God  long  spare  him  to  preach  in  it,  with  no  diminution 
of  the  power  and  success  that  are  now  associated  with 
his  labors. 

I  heard  Dr.  Gumming  preach  a  good  practical  ser- 
mon from  the  text,  "  Neither  be  partaker  of  other 
men's  sins."  He  is  a  good-looking  man,  of  medium 


38  HALL,    NOEL    AND    LANDELS. 

size,  not  over  fifty,  apparently,  with  a  quiet,  interest- 
ing manner  of  speaking.  He  read  and  expounded  a 
part  of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Revelation,  remarking 
that  more  people  went  out  of  London  every  Sabbath 
on  excursions  of  pleasure,  than  were  found  in  all  the 
churches  and  chapels  in  the  city ;  and  out  of  a  pop- 
ulation of  three  millions,  there  were  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  communicants  in  the  churches  of 
all  evangelical  denominations.  Still  he  believed,  in 
the  end,  vastly  more  of  the  human  race  would  be 
saved  than  lost.  He  thought  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and 
English  languages,  would  be  spoken  in  heaven  among 
the  many  "  tongues."  His  house  of  worship  was  full. 
I  also  heard  an  able  discourse  from  Rev.  Newman 
Hall,  pastor  of  Surrey  Chapel,  where  Rowland  Hill 
preached.  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  Rev.  Bap- 
tist "W.  Noel.  I  did  not  hear  him  preach,  but  dined 
with  him  at  his  invitation  in  company  with  Dr.  Gill- 
ette. He  is  a  perfect  Christian  gentleman,  delighting 
in  conversation  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Happening  into  the  chapel  of  Rev.  "William  Landels, 
at  Regent's  Park,  one  evening,  we  found  him  baptiz- 
ing fourteen  converts,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  con- 
gregation ;  that  is,  if  a  baptistery  on  a  level  with  the 
floor,  and  in  the  rear  of  a  large  pulpit,  can  be  said  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation.  He  invited 
us  to  breakfast  with  him,  and  we  had  a  delightful  in- 
terview at  the  house  of  Mr.  Lush,  an  eminent  barris- 
ter, whose  lovely  family  made  us  doubly  welcome. 
Subsequently  I  heard  Mr.  Landels  preach  a  most  ex- 
cellent and  impressive  sermon. 

His  church  is  in  a  flourishing  state ;  so  is  that  of 


PRAYER   MEETINGS   AND    PREACHING.  39 

Mr.  Brock,  where  I  attended  a  communion  service. 
Both  these  chapels  were  erected  or  purchased  mainly 
by  the  munificence  of  Sir  Morton  Peto,  a  member  of 
Parliament,  and  one  of  Mr.  Brock's  deacons. 

The  singing  in  all  the  churches  I  have  attended,  is 
congregational.  It  is  sometimes  good,  and  again  quite 
indifferent.  It  is  best  -where  an  organ  and  choir  lead 
the  congregation.  I  attended  a  number  of  prayer 
meetings  in  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  England,  and 
found  them  far  less  interesting  than  such  meetings  are 
with  us.  Generally  only  a  very  few  persons  took  part, 
and  they  were  called  upon  or  previously  spoken  to  by 
the  leader.  In  no  instance  did  I  find  a  meeting  in  which 
any  brother  present  was  free  to  take  a  part,  or  invited 
to  do  so.  The  prayers  and  remarks  were  often  tediously 
long.  I  do  not  think  the  English  or  Scotch  preaching 
equal  in  excellence  or  power  to  that  in  our  country. 
The  ministers  do  not  work  as  hard  ;  they  are  not  so  anx- 
ious and  careful.  There  are  marked  exceptions,  but 
much  of  their  preaching  is  like  the  week-evening  lec- 
tures of  our  pastors  ;  expository,  unstudied  and  com- 
mon place.  Most  of  the  houses  of  worship  seem  awk- 
wardly constructed  and  uncomfortable,  having  straight- 
backed  pews,  wide  and  high  galleries,  and  lofty,  tub- 
like  pulpits.  Some  of  the  churches  have  a  com- 
munion service  every  Lord's-day.  As  far  as  I  was 
able  to  mingle  with  the  ministers  and  brethren,  I 
found  them  truly  spiritual  and  earnest  Christians. 


IV. 


A  GREAT  fete  was  about  to  transpire  in  Paris,  and 
we  hastened  across  the  Channel  in  a  little  steamer 
from  ISTewhaven  to  Dieppe.  It  was  a  smooth,  pleasant 
passage,  and  the  full  moon  was  just  rising  on  a  glo- 
rious evening,  as  we  landed.  After  some  delay  in  the 
examination  of  baggage  and  passports,  we  took  the 
railway,  and  in  three  or  four  hours  reached  the  old 
city  of  Rouen,  where  we  stopped  for  the  night.  It 
was  a  delightful  ride,  and  the  green  hills  and  valleys 
and  cultivated  fields  were  beautiful  in  the  moonlight. 
But  now,  among  a  people  who  spoke  a  different  lan- 
guage, I  seemed  farther  than  ever  from  home.  By  a 
little  exertion  I  was  able  to  recall  some  of  the  French 
I  once  learned,  and  so  got  along  tolerably  well.  We 
spent  half  a  day  in  Eouen  with  much  pleasure,  visit- 
ing its  old  cathedral  and  fine  churches,  witnessing  a 
beautiful  marriage  ceremony  in  one  of  the  latter,  and 
ascending  to  the  top  of  the  tower  of  the  former,  four 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  high,  where  we  had  a  fine  view 
of  the  city  and  country.  Joan  of  Arc  was  here  impri- 
soned and  executed.  A  fine  statue  of  her  stands  on 
the  spot  where  she  was  burnt.  A  few  hours'  ride 
brought  us  to  Paris.  And  what  shall  I  say  of  this  gay 
and  gorgeous  capital  ?  A  lady  remarked  that  it  is  the 


A    MILITARY    PAGEANT   IN    PARIS.  41 

best  place  in  the  world  to  forget  God  in  ;   and  the 
multitudes  seem  to  be  improving  it  for  that  purpose. 

The  birth-day  of  the  great  Napoleon  was  celebrated 
on  the  fifteenth  of  August,  as  a  grand  holiday,  by 
games  and  plays,  and  in  the  evening  by  illuminations 
and  fire-works,  too  extensive,  beautiful  and  magnifi- 
cent to  be  described.  I  never  expect  to  see  again  such 
a  vast  multitude  of  people  together  until  the  final  day. 
The  present  Emperor  made  it  the  occasion  of  exhibit- 
ing to  the  Parisians,  and  thousands  of  others,  his 
immense  army,  fresh  from  the  recent  victorious  battle- 
fields of  Italy ;  and  also  to  show  his  army  the  splen- 
dors of  the  French  capital,  and  the  exuberant  greetings 
of  a  people  who  delight  in  magnificent  pageants  and 
military  glory.  On  the  previous  day,  he  brought  his 
army  into  the  city,  taking  Sunday  as  the  day  when 
the. people  would  have  leisure  to  witness  the  grand 
parade.  This  splendid  pageant  embraced  nearly  eighty 
thousand  horsemen  and  footmen  in  uniform,  and  with 
their  arms  and  implements  of  war.  The  Emperor 
rode  at  their  head  as  they  passed  through  the  princi- 
pal streets,  and  then  reviewed  them  in  the  Place  Ven- 
dome,  in  the  presence  of  the  Empress  and  other 
dignitaries,  and  countless  multitudes  of  people.  Every 
street,  balcony,  and  window  afibrding  a  sight  of  the 
procession,  was  crowded ;  and  thousands  of  seats  had 
been  prepared  in  the  Place  Yendome,  around  the 
column  and  statue  of  Napoleon  I.,  which  seemed  to  be 
looking  down  on  the  brilliant  spectacle.  Indications 
of  the  recent  bloody  battles  were  observed.  Now  and 
then  would  be  seen  platoons  of  soldiers,  without  mus- 
kets or  swords,  some  of  them  walking  with  crutches, 


4:2  SERVICE   IN   THE   AMERICAN   CHAPEL. 

and  others  with  their  limbs  bandaged  or  in  slings. 
Again,  only  a  few  of  a  certain  company  or  regiment 
would  pass  together.  Their  associates  had  perished 
on  the  field.  Ah !  how  many  thousands,  hurried  to 
eternity  amid  the  horrors  of  war,  were  thus  missing 
from  those  ranks  !  Frequently  a  tattered  flag,  taken 
from  the  enemy  in  battle,  was  borne  along  by  its  cap- 
tors, amid  shouts  of  the  throng  and  showers  of  bou- 
quets, thrown  from  the  windows.  Austrian  cannon, 
also,  the  prize  of  the  victors,  were  drawn  in  the 
procession.  The  whole  line,  often  twenty  deep,  was 
between  four  and  five  hours  in  passing  a  given  point. 

"What  striking  contrasts,  unobserved,  unthought  of 
by  the  multitude,  often  meet  the  All-seeing  Eye  !  A 
minister  of  the  gospel  found  it  difficult  to  work  his 
way  through  the  crowd  and  military  lines,  that  he 
might  reach  a  quiet  sanctuary,  and  preach  the  word 
of  life  to  a  few  who  had  assembled  to  worship  God. 
It  was  my  privilege  to  be  one  of  that  few  in  the 
American  Chapel,  where,  in  the  absence  of  the  pastor, 
my  friend  and  Christian  brother,  Eev.  Dr.  Heacock, 
of  Buffalo,  preached  a  most  excellent  sermon  from  the 
words  of  Jesus,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  :  ye 
believe  in  God ;  believe  also  in  me."  He  spoke  of 
the  troubles  arising  from  our  nature  or  fallen  state, 
and  those  caused  by  sin ;  and  presented  Christ,  and 
faith  in  Christ,  as  the  only  and  certain  cure. 

It  is  painful  to  think  how  few  of  all  the  throng  and 
dwellers  in  this  gay  city,  know  Christ  by  a  simple, 
evangelical,  experimental  faith.  There  are  splendid 
churches  here,  as  the  Notre  Dame  and  Madeleine,  and 
priests,  and  services,  and  ceremonies,  such  as  they 


FRENCH    EELTGION   AND   HABITS.  43 

are ;  but  they  seem  to  be  all  outward,  and  showy,  and 
hollow.  There  are  pictures  and  images,  and  burning 
candles,  and  gaudy  robes,  and  various  manipulations 
of  priests  at  the  altar,  and  genuflections  of  the  people, 
with  crossings  and  countings  of  beads  ;  but  scarcely 
anything  that  a  Protestant  regards  as  intelligent  New 
Testament  religion.  JSTo  gospel  truth  is  preached  with 
simplicity  and  power ;  no  prayers  from  full,  penitent 
and  pleading  hearts  seem  to  be  offered.  This  unen- 
durable flummery  of  religion  meets  you  everywhere 
on  the  Continent — in  the  cathedrals  and  churches,  in 
processions  through  the  streets,  elevating  the  host, 
carrying  an  image  of  the  Yirgin  and  Child,  bearing 
banners  inscribed  to  saints  and  prayers  to  them  for 
mercy,  with  men  holding  lanterns  and  long  candles, 
litttle  boys  singing  as  they  march,  and  girls  swinging 
festoons  of  artificial  flowers,  while  persons  of  both 
sexes  kneel  in  the  street,  or  cross  themselves  as  the 
procession  passes.  No  wonder  that  the  more  intelli- 
gent are  infidels,  and  that  the  Sabbath  is  desecrated 
by  pursuers  of  gain  or  pleasure,  when  nothing  better 
is  presented  to  meet  the  religious  wants  of  man's 
nature. 

The  French  are  a  volatile,  unthinking  people,  living 
for  to-day.  They  love  to  be  out  of  doors,  chatting 
with  everybody  about  everything,  for  which  their  lan- 
guage is  well  suited.  They  scarcely  seem  to  have  any 
homes  or  family  firesides,  but  live  at  cafes  and  restau- 
rants, often  eating  and  drinking  on  the  sidewalks,  and 
sleep,  I  know  not  where.  Still,  they  are  ^  very  polite 
and  apparently  decorous  people.  They  are  anxious  to 


4:4:  PAEIS    AND    VERSAILLES. 

oblige  you,  graciously  answering  your  questions,  and 
going  out  of  their  way  to  direct  you. 

I  cannot  dwell  on  the  objects  of  interest  in  Paris. 
The  Boulevards,  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  and 
Champs  Elysees,  hav^e  been  often  described.  The 
Louvre  gallery  of  paintings  contains  some  exquisite 
pictures.  Pere  le  Chaise  has  its  attractions  as  a  cem- 
etery. The  tomb  of  the  great  Napoleon,  not  yet  fin- 
ished, is  a  magnificent  structure.  A  view  of  the  city 
and  country  from  the  top  of  Notre  Dame,  and  of  the 
Triumphal  Arch,  are  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  A  half 
hour's  ride  by  railway  takes  you  to  Versailles,  through 
the  groves  of  Boulogne,  and  near  the  Palace  of  St. 
Cloud.  But  who  can  describe  the  Palace  of  Ver- 
sailles, and  its  wonderfully  beautiful  grounds,  groves, 
walks,  statues,  lakes  and  fountains?  Its  picture- 
gallery  must  be  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world. 
You  must  travel  six  miles  to  go  through  all  the  rooms 
crowded  with  paintings  and  statuary.  You  have  in 
these  works  of  art  a  pictorial  history  of  France,  as 
they  are  arranged  in  chronological  order.  Many  of 
the  paintings  are  large  and  splendid ;  but  the  eye  is 
pained  with  suchan  endless  succession  of  battle-scenes, 
and  longs  for  landscapes  and  angels  of  peace.  We 
wandered  through  every  apartment;  and  the  silent 
language  of  many  a  portrait  and  picture  and  marble 
bust  seemed  to  be,  Where  are  the  kings  who  planned 
and  embellished  this  gorgeous  palace  ? 

In  going  from  Paris  to  Brussels,  one  passes  through 
a  region  of  no  marked  interest  until  Belgium  is 
reached.  You  pass  villages,  forests  and  cultivated 
fields.  In  the  last,  about  as  many  women  as  men  are 


BELGIAN    SCENERY BRUSSELS.  45 

at  work:  This  is  seen  wherever  you  go  on  the  Conti- 
nent, and  to  some  extent  in  England.  Belgium  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  countries  I  have  seen.  It  is  gen- 
erally level,  and  along  nearly  all  its  roads  and  canals, 
on  either  side,  a  fine  row  of  thrifty,  grown  up  trees 
meets  the  eye  most  pleasantly,  and  affords  a  charming 
shade  to  the  traveler.  Such  rows  of  trees  frequently 
divide  fields,  taking  the  place  of  hedges  in  England 
and  fences  in  our  country.  You  hardly  see  a  fence 
or  a  wall,  except  around  a  city,  in  Europe.  Brussels, 
"Belgium's  capital,"  sung  by  the  author  of  Childe 
Harold,  as  he  introduces  his  vivid  description  of  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  is  in  its  public  buildings,  shops, 
parks,  and  general  aspect,  a  lively,  interesting,  gay 
city,  a  sort  of  petit  Paris.  Several  places  of  interest 
attract  the  attention  of  the  traveler.  The  Museum 
contains  some  fine  paintings  by  Rubens  and  Yandyck. 
A  spirited  equestrian  statue  of  the  crusader,  Godfrey 
of  Bouillon,  stands  in  the  Place  Royale.  The  room 
where  the  abdication  of  Charles  Y.  took  place  is 
pointed  out ;  and  in  the  market-place,  in  front  of  the 
Hotel  de  Yille,  the  Counts  Egmont  and  Horn  were 
beheaded  by  the  order  of  the  cruel  Alva,  who  looked 
from  a  window  on  the  bloody  scene.  The  great  hall, 
or  ball-room,  where,  on  the  evening  before  the  battle 
of  Waterloo, 

"  There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night," 

has  been  converted  into  a  hospital.  On  entering  the 
church  of  St.  Gudule,  one  is  struck  by  its  beautifully 
painted  windows,  one  of  which,  said  to  be  the  finest  in 
Europe,  long  detains  you  in  admiration  of  its  exquis- 


46          LEOPOLD FIELD  OF  WATERLOO. 

ite  coloring.  Scarcely  less  interesting  are  the  carved 
figures  of  the  pulpit,  representing  the  expulsion  from 
Eden.  Eve  has  plucked  the  apple,  and  is  offering  it 
to  Adam,  who  has  a  look  of  surprise  and  horror,  while 
an  angel  with  a  sword  is  descending,  and  Death  is 
stealthily  approaching. 

What  a  pity  that  such  a  country  should  be  so  thor- 
oughly Romish  in  its  religion  ! — that  all  the  struggles 
of  the  past,  and  aspects  of  the  present,  should  seem  to 
culminate  in  the  prevalence  of  the  strong  old  delusion  ! 
King  Leopold,  however,  is  a  Protestant ;  and  it  is 
remarkable  that  he  should  be  universally  popular  with 
all  classes.  We  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  him. 
As  he  passed  us  in  his  carriage,  we  uncovered  our 
heads,  and  he  gracefully  bowed  to  us.  He  is  a  fine- 
looking  old  man  ;  and  we  were  the  more  interested  in 
seeing  him,  as  he  was  the  husband  of  the  lamented 
Princess  Charlotte,  heir  to  the  crown  of  England,  and 
on  whose  death  Robert  Hall  preached  one  of  the  most 
eloquent  discourses  that  ever  fell  from  human  lips. 

An  excursion  of  twelve  miles  by  coach  brings  you 

14 the  place  of  skulls, 

The  grave  of  Franco,  the  deadly  Waterloo." 

It  is  an  undulating  plain  of  cultivated  fields  ;  and  yet, 
as  an  English  officer,  who  was  in  the  battle,  acting  as 
your  guide,  points  out  the  positions  of  the  contending 
armies,  and  their  various  movements,  how  easily  the 
imagination  reproduces  the  arrayed  and  bannered 
hosts,  with  all  the  terrible  scenes  of  that  memorable 
day  !  The  great  leaders  have  gone  to  the  grave  ;  and 
of  the  survivors  of  the  battle,  but  few  remain  :  such 


ANTWERP CHURCHES RUBENS.  47 

are  the  victories  of  one  mightier   than   human    con- 
querors ! 

Between  Brussels  and  Antwerp  is  Mechlin,  distin- 
guished for  the  manufacture  of  lace.  The  tourist  lin- 
gers at  Antwerp,  which  offers  some  rare  attractions. 
The  city  is  finely  situated  for  commerce  on  the  banks 
of  the  Scheldt,  and  many  ships  from  distant  parts  of 
the  world  are  found  at  its  magnificent  docks,  built  un- 
der the  direction  of  Napoleon.  The  old  high  houses, 
tapering  up  to  pinnacle  forms,  have  a  quaint  appear- 
ance ;  and  there  is  a  sort  of  imitation  of  them  in  the 
grotesque  straw  bonnets  of  the  elder  women,  and  the 
heavy  but  pointed  wooden  shoes  worn  by  the  com- 
mon people.  The  churches  here  are  embellished  to  a 
high  degree.  The  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  is 
five  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  its  spire,  of  great 
architectural  beauty,  is  four  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet 
high.  One  will  not  soon  lose  the  recollection  of  his 
extensive  view  from  that  giddy  height,  though  the 
name  he  scratches  under  the  little  canopy  may  be 
noticed  by  few,  and  recognized  by  none.  But  the 
chief  attraction  is  in  the  interior  of  the  building. 

O 

There  is  Rubens'  great  picture  of  the  Descent  from 
the  Cross.  You  linger  long  before  it  in  silent  medita- 
tion, and  thoughts  of  the  wonderful  skill  of  the  artist 
are  transferred  to  the  overpowering  scene  he  so  vividly 
presents.  His  delineation  of  the  dead  Christ  sur- 
passes anything  I  have  seen.  The  interior  of  the 
church  of  St.  Jaques  is  profusely  rich  in  ornamental 
statuary,  and  contains  also  some  fine  paintings.  Many 
marble  carvings,  some  from  designs  of  Rubens,  are 
wonderfully  elaborate  and  exquisite.  Rubens  was 


4:8  DUTCH-LAND AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

buried  in  this  church,  and  his  tomb,  with  a  beautiful 
picture  of  his  family  painted  by  himself,  and  hanging 
on  the  wall  above  it,  is  a  great  attraction. 

We  made  an  excursion  through  Holland,  our  prin- 
cipal stopping-places  being  Eotterdam  and  Amster- 
dam. These  cities  are  much  alike,  and  without  spe- 
cial interest.  They  are  mostly  built  upon  piles,  and 
are  cut  up  by  numerous  canals ;  and  as  you  look 
through  a  street,  you  see  many  of  the  houses  leaning 
as  if  they  would  some  time  fall  over.  In  the  former 
city  is  a  statue  of  Erasmus,  and  the  house  where  he 
lived  is  found  after  a  little  searching.  The  people 
have  a  custom  of  fastening  mirrors  outside  of  their 
windows,  that  from  within  they  may  observe  what  is 
transpiring  in  the  street.  The  women  delight  in  bra- 
zen or  gilt  helmet-like  ornaments  glittering  through 
their  caps,  and  cropping  out  at  their  temples  in  large 
spiral  wires  or  rings.  Perhaps  they  think  they  are 
pretty.  We  passed  through  Delft  and  Leyden,  places 
of  great  historical  interest  in  their  connection  with  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  the  struggles  of  religious  liberty. 
Holland  presents  a  singular  appearance.  Its  ungainly 
windmills  are  sufficiently  numerous  for  an  army  of 
pugnacious  Don  Quixotes.  Holland  mostly  lies  lower 
than  the  sea,  which  is  kept  off  by  dykes.  You  look 
over  the  fields  in  almost  any  direction,  and  sails  of 
vessels  meet  your  eye  ;  they  are  threading  the  various 
canals  running  through  the  country.  Passing  through 
Utrecht  and  Dusseldorf,  we  reached  Cologne,  in  Prus- 
sia, where  we  were  to  take  a  steamer  up  the  Khine. 

From  Cologne,  however,  we  first  made  an  excursion 
to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  an  old  town  commenced  by  the 


TOMB   OF   CHARLEMAGNE RELICS.  49 

Romans,  and  noted  in  modern  times  as  the  place  where 
various  Congresses  have  met  to  settle  treaties  of  peace 
between  belligerent  nations.  Here  Charlemagne  is 
supposed  to  have  been  born,  and  here  he  died  in  814. 
His  tomb  is  in  the  Cathedral,  a  building  which  he  de- 
signed after  the  form  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre at  Jerusalem,  and  intended  as  his  burial-place.  A 
century  or  two  after  his  death,  the  tomb  was  opened, 
and  his  remains  removed.  He  was  found  seated  upon  a 
marble  throne  or  chair,  in  his  imperial  robes,  his  scep- 
ter in  his  hand,  and  his  crown  upon  his  fleshless  brow. 
The  marble  chair,  and  two  or  three  bones,  including 
a  skull,  said  to  be  those  of  Charlemagne,  are  shown  to 
the  visitor.  His  crown  is  also  shown ;  a  priest  placed 
it  on  our  heads.  Here,  too,  is  a  marble  sarcophagus, 
said  to  be  that  of  Augustus  Caesar.  It  is  elaborately 
carved,  and  bears  unmistakable  evidence  of  Roman 
origin.  It  was  given  to  this  church  by  one  of  the 
early  Popes. 

But  the  good-natured  priest  showed  things  more 
marvelous  than  these.  I  refer  to  sacred  relics,  among 
which  are  a  piece  of  the  original  cross,  a  nail  that  fast- 
ened one  of  the  hands  of  Jesus  to  it,  a  piece  of  the 
sponge  wet  with  vinegar,  one  of  the  thorns  of  the  crown, 
a  portion  of  the  napkin  that  covered  the  Saviour's  head 
at  his  burial,  and  a  lock  of  the  Virgin's  hair !  These 
relics  are  kept  in  richly  elaborated  cases  of  gold,  set 
with  precious  stones.  It  was  somewhat  amusing  to  us 
heretics  to  hear  such  things  described  as  really  being 
what  they  were  said  to  be,  and  with  a  confident  air  of 
truthfulness ;  but  the  priest  got  his  fee,  and  we  our 
first  lesson  of  the  kind.  Other  relics,  enclosed  in 

3 


50  COLOGNE ON   THE   EHINE DRACHENFELS. 

splendid  cases,  and  among  them  the  robe  worn  by  the 
Virgin  at  the  Nativity,  and  the  swaddling  clothes  in 
which  Jesus  was  wrapped,  are  shown  only  once  in 
seven  years.  It  is  said  that  more  than  180,000  pil- 
grims came  to  see  them  in  1853.  Next  year  they  will 
be  exhibited  again.  How  great  is  the  power  of  reli- 
gions superstition ! 

We  associate  with  Cologne  an  agreeable  odor  ;  but 
walk  through  the  streets  of  that  city,  and  you  are 
greeted  with  perfumes  quite  the  reverse.  Its  Cathe- 
dral is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  Gothic 
architecture  in  the  world.  Immense  sums  have  been 
lavished  upon  it,  and  it  is  yet  incomplete. 

A  sail  up  the  Rhine  is  delightful.  At  Bonn,  a  fine 
town,  with  its  University  where  the  husband  of  Queen 
Victoria  studied,  the  beautiful  scenery  begins.  There 
the  banks  grow  more  bold,  rising  sometimes  to  con- 
siderable mountains.  Their  slopes  are  often  terraced 
quite  to  the  summit,  and  covered  with  thrifty  vines 
bearing  the  white  and  purple  clusters.  You  frequent- 
ly pass  places  of  historical  interest,  old  towers,  ruined 
castles,  and  modern  chateaux  of  much  beauty.  The 
spot  where  the  scenery  is  the  most  bold  and  charming, 
is  that  so  pleasantly  described  in  the  following  lines 
from  "  Childe  Harold." 

The  castled  crag  of  Drachenfels 
Frowns  o'er  the  wide  and  winding  Rhine, 
Whose  breast  of  waters  broadly  swells 
Between  the  banks  which  bear  the  vine, 
And  hills  all  rich  with  blossomed  trees, 
And  fields  which  promise  corn  and  wine, 
And  scattered  cities  crowning  these, 
Whose  far  white  walls  along  them  shine, 


MAYENCE   AKD    FJBANKFORT.  51 

Have  strewed  a  scene,  which  I  should  see 
With  double  joy,  wert  thou  with  me  ! 

And  peasant  girls,  with  deep  blue  eyes, 
And  hands  which  offer  early  flowers, 
Walk  smiling  o'er  that  paradise ; 
Above,  the  frequent  feudal  towers 
Through  green  leaves  lift  their  walls  of  gray, 
And  many  a  rock  which  steeply  lowers. 
And  noble  arch  in  proud  decay, 
Look  o'er  this  vale  of  vintage-bowers ; 
But  one  thing  want  these  banks  of  Rhine — 
Thy  gentle  hand  to  clasp  in  mine  ! 

The  river  nobly  foams  and  flows, 

The  charm  of  this  enchanted  ground, 

And  all  its  thousand  turns  disclose 

Some  fresher  beauty  varying  round. 

The  haughtiest  breast  its  wish  might  bound 

Through  life  to  dwell  delighted  here  ; 

Nor  could  on  earth  a  spot  be  found 

To  nature  and  to  me  so  dear, 

Could  thy  dear  eyes,  in  following  mine, 

Still  sweeten  more  these  banks  of  Rhine ! 

The  closing  couplet  of  each  of  these  stanz.as  had  to 
me  a  significance  rendered  intense  from  the  fact  that 
the  day  I  was  on  the  Rhine,  was  one  of  the  pleasant- 
est  anniversaries  that  loving  hearts  can  cherish. 

We  left  the  river  at  Mayence,  a  city  which  claims 
the  honor  of  being  the  place  where  the  art  of  printing 
was  invented  by  Gutenberg,  a  fine  statue  of  whom 
stands  in  one  of  the  public  squares.  From  thence, 
passing  through  luxuriant  vineyards  and  fruit  orch- 
ards, we  proceeded  to  Frankfort-on-the-Maine.  This 
capital  of  Germany  is  a  very  attractive  town,  well 
worth  a  visit  of  the  tourist.  Luther  lived  here  for  a 


52  GOETHE HEIDELBERG. 

time.  Goethe  was  born  here,  and  it  being  the  anni- 
versary of  his  birth,  his  name,  on  the  exterior  of  the 
house  where  that  event  took  place,  was  wreathed 
around  with  flowers.  An  imposing  and  admirable 
statue  of  him  graces  a  public  square ;  and  near  it  is  a 
triple  statue  of  Gutenberg,  Faust,  and  Shoeffer,  with 
other  emblematic  figures,  making  one  of  the  most 
striking  and  interesting  specimens  of  sculpture  I 
have  seen.  The  Town  House,  a  building  of  the  fif- 
teenth century,  and  used  as  the  Electors'  Room  and 
Hall  of  the  Senate,  contains  fine  portraits  of  all  the 
Emperors,  from  the  time  of  Charlemagne  to  1806. 
Among  other  paintings  there,  also,  is  a  beautiful  one 
of  the  Judgment  of  Solomon.  "We  spent  a  Sabbath 
here,  and  attended  worship  at  the  English  church. 
The  congregation  was  small,  and  the  minister  drawled 
out  the  service  in  a  wretched  manner.  His  sermon 
was  a  miserable  apology  for  preaching. 

From  Frankfort,  we  went  by  rail  to  Heidelberg,  a 
very  pleasant  town  romantically  situated  on  the  river 
Neckar,  and  under  the  shadows  of  lofty  hills,  on  the 
slope  of  one  of  which  are  the  ruins  of  one  of  the  finest 
old  feudal  castles  in  Europe.  Some  of  its  apartments 
are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  A  gallery  of 
paintings  and  relics  was  well  worth  a  visit.  There  I 
saw  good  portraits  of  Luther,  Melancthon  and  others. 
But  what  interested  me  most  was  the  identical  gold 
ring  which  Luther  placed  upon  the  finger  of  his  bride 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  A  little  relic,  but  how 
suggestive  !  The  University  of  Heidelberg  has  some 
five  hundred  students,  several  of  them  Americans.  I 
had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  one  of  the  Professors, 


BADEX-BADEN GAMBLING — STRASBOURG.  53 

but  calling  at  his  residence,  I  found  lie  was  out  of 
town,  it  being  vacation. 

A  visit  to  Baden-Baden,  a  famous  watering  place, 
convinces  one  that  vicious  practices  are  vigorously 
pursued  there  with  unblushing  boldness.  An  im- 
mense and  beautiful  hall  is  mostly  devoted  to  the  pur- 
poses of  gambling.  Crowds  gather  around  the  tables 
and  many  stake  their  money  and  lose  or  win,  the  los- 
ers of  course  out-numbering  the  winners.  Yet  the 
hope  of  such  dishonest  gain  encourages  the  vice. 
You  are  surprised  to  see  females  vieing  with  the  men 
in  this  wicked  practice.  The  sins  of  the  place  are  in 
strange  contrast  with  its  natural  beauties.  It  is  a 
charming  village,  nestled  among  hills  and  pleasant 
groves  where  it  is  a  delight  to  wander.  The  waters 
of  its  mineral  springs,  bubbling  hot  from  the  earth,  are 
used  both  for  drinking  and  bathing.  "We  visited  the 
fine  apartments  of  the  Grand  Duke  in  the  New  Castle, 
and  beneath  it  entered  some  gloomy  subterranean 
dungeons  where  according  to  tradition,  persons  were 
once  confined  and  put  to  death  by  various  methods 
of  torture  and  execution,  such  as  we  have  read  of  in 
connection  with  Romish  Inquisitions.  The  dismal 
rooms  are  well  adapted  to  such  purposes,  and  there 
were  some  evidences  of  the  horrid  reality.  "What 
startling  disclosures  are  in  reserve  for  the  last  day ! 

Strasbourg,  on  the  borders  of  France,  is  visited  by 
those  who  are  desirous  of  witnessing  the  performance 
of  a  remarkable  clock  in  its  Cathedral.  It  is  truly  a 
wonderful  piece  of  mechanism.  I  cannot  detail  all  its 
operations  which  I  saw  at  twelve  o'clock.  A  cherub 
on  one  side  of  the  dial  struck  the  hour  with  a  ham- 


54:  CURIOUS    CLOCK   IN    THE    CATHEDRAL. 

mer ;  another,  on  the  opposite  side,  reversed  an  hour- 
glass which  he  held  in  his  hands  ;  over  the  dial,  fig- 
ures of  the  twelve  Apostles  came  out  successively  and 
bowed  to  a  figure  of  the  Saviour,  who  stretched  out 
his  hand  to  them  as  giving  a  benediction  to  each  as  he 
passed.  Higher  up,  a  cock  flapped  his  wings, 
stretched  up  his  neck,  opened  his  mouth  and  crowed, 
doing  it  thrice  at  short  intervals ;  below  the  dial,  a 
boy  pointed  his  finger  at  the  day  of  the  month  ;  a  fig- 
ure of  the  moon  showed  its  present  phase  ;  solar  time 
and  apparent  time  were  indicated  ;  and  a  curious  part 
of  the  mechanism  exhibited  all  the  ecclesiastical  days 
of  the  year.  The  Cathedral  itself  is  large  and  worthy 
of  attention.  Its  beautiful  spire  is,  I  believe,  the  tal- 
lest in  Europe,  being  four  hundred  and  seventy-two 
feet  high.  The  view  from  that  elevation,  including  the 
Black  Forest  of  Germany,  will  be  a  remembered  pic- 
ture. 


V. 

— §  tor  in  %  gigs. 

A  MONTH  in  Switzerland  lias  afforded  me  good  oppor- 
tunity to  see  something  of  its  striking  natural  scenery, 
its  sublime  mountains  and  charming  lakes,  and  to 
mingle  somewhat  with  its  people.  These  have  been 
weeks  of  intense  excitement  and  unspeakable  delight. 
On  the  tops  of  mountains,  in  the  green  valleys,  or  sail- 
ing over  lakes,  the  eye  has  everywhere  met  rapt  vis- 
ions, and  the  heart  swelled  with  ecstacy  amid  scenes 
never  to  be  forgotten.  Under  the  low  roof  of  a  rude 
cottage,  conversing  with  its  inmates,  or  in  the  eternal 
solitudes  of  high  Alpine  passes,  the  pleasure  of  the 
•journey  has  never  failed.  I  have  always  admired 
grand  mountains.  I  like  to  climb  their  rugged  slopes, 
and  look  abroad  from  their  glorious  summits.  The 
air  is  pure  and  bracing  ;  the  exercise  is  vigorous  and 
health-inspiring.  Heaven  seems  to  be  near,  ancj.  the 
presence  of  God  is  sensibly  felt  amid  His  stupendous 
creations.  I  had  long  hoped  some  time  to  traverse 
Alpine  ranges,  to  visit  the  home  of  the  glacier  and  the 
avalanche,  and  gaze  on  the  snow-crowned  brow  of 
Mont  Blanc.  And  now  the  favored  time  had  come  ; 
and  with  the  mighty  feeling  of  reality,  I  have  often 
found  myself  repeating  these  apt  and  well-known  lines 
of  Byron : 


56  THE   SWISS    BORDER RAIL-CARRIAGES. 

Above  me  are  the  Alps, 

The  palaces  of  Nature,  whose  vast  walls 
Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 

And  throned  eternity  in  icy  halls 

Of  cold  sublimity,  where  forms  and  falls 
The  avalanche — the  thunderbolt  of  snow  ! 

All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appalls, 
Gather  around  these  summits,  as  to  show 
How  earth  may  pierce  to  heaven,  and  leave  vain  man  below. 

From  Strasbourg  we  went  to  Basle,  reaching  there 
the  border  of  Switzerland.  Another  day's  journey  and 
we  were  at  Geneva.  This  was  made  partly  by  rail 
and  partly  by  steamers.  On  this  route  were  railway 
carriages — they  never  call  them  cars  in  England,  or  on 
the  Continent — constructed  after  the  American  style,  a 
pleasant  change  from  the  small,  coach-like  apartments 
where  half  the  passengers  must  ride  backwards.  You 
enter  the  English  and  European  rail-carriages  at  side- 
doors,  and  are  locked  in.  Your  baggage  is  first 
weighed  and  checked,  on  showing  your  ticket.  There 
are  three  classes,  and  the  fares,  except  in  the  third, 
are  mucli  higher  than  with  us.  This  is  a  delightful 
journey,  leading  through  the  charming  lakes  of  Bienne 
and  Neuchatel.  The  valleys  are  green  and  fertile,  the 
slope's  of  the  hills  are  vine-clad,  and  the  distant  moun- 
tains are  glorious.  On  the  right,  is  the  Jura  range, 
and  on  the  left,  the  abrupt  ridges  and  snow-glittering 
peaks  of  the  kingly  Alps.  Occasional  glimpses  of 
Mont  Blanc,  at  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  thrill  you 
with  delight.  Lake  Leman's  clear  and  blue  waters 
you  love  to  gaze  upon.  On  arriving  at  your  hotel  in 
Geneva,  you  receive  a  package  of  letters  from  home, 


GENEVA DK.    MALAN OUK    PAJRTY.  57 

and  for  awhile  you  forget  all  tins  grand  scenery  in 
dear  communion  with  loved  ones  far  away ! 

Geneva  is  finely  situated  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake,  where,  dividing  the  town,  the  Rhone  resumes  its 
rapid  flow.  A  pleasant  walk  of  half  an  hour  on  its 
banks  brings  you  to  its  junction  with  the  Arve.  This 
"  meeting  of  the  waters  "  is  a  place  of  much  interest. 
The  Rhone  is  transparent — the  Arve  turbid.  The  two 
currents  meet,  but  for  a  considerable  distance  their 
waters  utterly  refuse  to  mingle.  At  length,  the  resist 
ance  gives  way,  and  the  turbid  portion  tinctures  the 
whole  stream.  A  moral  is  easily  drawn. 
*  On  Sunday  I  was  anxious  to  see  and  hear  Dr.  Merle 
D'Aubigne,  but  learned  that  he  was  out  of  town.  I 
had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  hearing  Dr.  Malan. 
He  is  a  venerable,  saintly-looking  man,  with  hoary 
locks,  beaming  eyes,  and  a  benevolent  expression  that 
fascinates  you  at  once.  I  understood  little  of  the  ser- 
mon, as  he  preaches  in  French  ;  but  his  whole  manner, 
the  tones  of  his  voice,  his  gestures,  and  his  evident 
sweet  Christian  spirit,  impressed  me  deeply.  He 
came  to  us  as  he  descended  from  the  pulpit,  and  in- 
vited us  to  his  room,  where  we  had  a  brief  but  de- 
lightful interview  with  him.  It  is  a  pity  there  are  so 
few  of  his  spirit  of  piety  in  the  city  where  John  Cal- 
vin preached  and  wrote  his  great  works. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  our  party  of  seven,  a  cler- 
gyman from  Massachusetts,  his  wife  and  sister,  a 
teacher  from  Rhode  Island,  a  lawyer  from  California, 
a  !N"ew  York  pastor  and  myself,  left  Geneva  for  a  tour 
among  the  Alps.  The  weather  was  delightful,  aiid  all 
were  in  fine  spirits.  We  chartered  carriages  for  Cha 


58        THE  ARVE MONT  BLANC CHAMOUNY. 

mouny,  over  fifty  miles  distant,  and  to  whose  beautiful 
vale  a  somewhat  long  day's  journey  brought  us.  It 
lies  at  the  very  foot  of  the  monarch-mountain,  and  in 
entrancing  view  of  magnificent  glaciers.  Much  of  the 
way  was  amid  scenery  wild  and  bold  enough  to  excite 
the  dullest  mind  to  lively  and  profound  admiration. 
"We  rode  along  the  valley  of  the  Arve,  roaring  as  it 
rushed  on  its  way,  while  now  on  the  one  hand,  and 
then  on  the  other,  lofty  mountains  rose  so  precipitous 
as  almost  to  overhang  our  path,  and  in  their  naked 
grandeur,  exposing  the  dip  and  foldings  of  their  strata, 
while  at  brief  intervals  silvery  cascades  came  dancing 
down  at  our  feet.  At  one  time  we  entered  a  narrow 
gorge  between  vast  wall-like  rocky  heights,  that 
seemed  the  very  gateway  of  the  Alps,  and  strongly 
reminded  me  of  the  famous  Notch  of  our  own 
"White  Mountains.  An  hour's  stop  at  St.  Martin,  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  walk  to  a  bridge  in  the  vicinity, 
where  a  vision  burst  upon  us,  so  glorious  and  entran- 
cing as  to  leave  its  impress  indelibly  upon  our  minds. 
Mont  Blanc  was  before  us  in  all  his  kingly  proportions 
and  perpetual  investiture  of  snow  and  ice.  Full 
twelve  miles  distant,  yet  so  immense  and  pearly  bril- 
liant, as  the  sunlight  fell  upon  his  snowy  robes,  he 
seemed  to  lie  within  less  than  an  hour's  walk. 

It  was  past  nine  o'clock  when  we  reached  Cham- 
ouny,  the  latter  part  of  the  way  being  almost  a  con- 
tinual ascent.  But  the  moon,  peering  now  and  then 
above  the  mountain-tops,  shone  beautifully  in  a  clear 
sky.  A  window  of  my  chamber  at  our  hotel  afforded 
a  fine  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  looking  from  it,  I  saw 
the  moon  resting,  as  it  were,  for  a  moment,  like  a  sil- 


THE  FLEGEEE  AND  MER  DE  GLACE.         59 

ver  diadem,  on  his  lofty  brow.  Beautiful  sight !  and 
so  absorbed  was  I  with  that  matchless  mountain  so 
etherial,  heavenly  and  awe-inspiring,  that  at  earliest 
dawn  I  was  awake  and  gazing  upon  it,  and  repeating 
that  glorious  poem,  Coleridge's  Hymn  before  Sunrise 
in  the  vale  of  Chamouny. 

"  Hast  tbou  a  charm  to  stay  the  Morning  Star 
In  his  steep  course  ?     So  long  he  seems  to  pause 
On  thy  bald,  awful  head,  0  sovran  Blanc !" 

Our  ascent  to  the  Flegere,  opposite  Mont  Blanc,  and 
more  than  6,000  feet  above  the  sea  level,  gave  us  a 
superb  view  *of  the  grand  monarch  of  mountains,  and 
the  range  in  which  he  stands,  together  with  the  Mer 
de  Glace,  the  Glacier  du  Bossons,  and  other  beautiful 
and  glorious  ice-torrents  that  flow  slowly  down  the 
lofty  slopes  and  congeal  in  the  deep  ravines,  and  have 
the  appearance  of  mighty  cataracts  suddenly  frozen 
stiff  and  stopped  in  their  course.  The  next  ascent  was 
on  the  Mont  Blanc  side  of  the  vale,  to  a  point,  the 
summit  of  Montanvert,  higher  than  the  previous  one, 
and  from  whence  we  descended  a  high  bank  to  the 
Mer  de  Glace,  which  was  spread  out  before  us  in  all 
its  glory.  "We  could  look  for  many  miles  along  that 
icy  sea,  winding  from  its  source  in  everlasting  snow, 
to  its  termination  in  a  green  and  sunny  vale,  and 
whose  great  motionless  billows  met  the  eye  in  long 
succession,  and  glittered  in  emerald  splendor.  We 
walked  across  its  broad  uneven  surface,  the  guides 
assisting  the  ladies,  and  directing  the  course  of  all. 
Frequent  fissures  or  rents  in  the  ice  were  observed, 
and  little  wells,  in  which  water  stood  or  trickled  down 


60  GLACIERS — MRS.    II.    B.    STOWE — TETE  NOIR. 

to  the  depths  below.  A  guide  remarked  that  he  had 
dropped  a  line  into  some  of  these  crevices  to  the  depth 
of  300  feet.  The  whole  mass  moves  very  gradually, 
melting  away  at  the  bottom,  and  pressed  down  by  the 
<  weight  of  snow  above.  Close  to  the  margin  of  this 
ice-river  grow  beautiful  flowers,  a  sweet  summer 
fringe  on  the  wintery  garment  of  eternal  frost.  This, 
and  many  other  glaciers  I  have  seen  in  the  Alps— 
gloriously  flowing  from  their  sublime  sources,  as  one 
would  imagine  the  "  pure  river  of  water  of  life  pro- 
ceeding out  of  the  throne  of  God  "  to  flow — have  often 
reminded  me  of  a  grand  passage  in  Coleridge's 
Hymn : 

Ye  ice-falls  !  ye  that  from  the  mountain's  brow, 
Adown  enormous  ravines  slope  amain — 
Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  Voice, 
And  stopped  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge ; 
Motionless  torrents  !     Silent  cataracts  ! 
"W  ho  made  you  glorious  as  the  gates  of  heaven 
Beneath  the  keen  full  moon  ?     Who  bade  the  sun 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows  ?    "Who,  with  living  flowers 
Of  loveliest  blue,  spread  garlands  at  your  feet  ? 
God !  let  the  torrents,  like  a  shout  of  nations, 
Answer  !  and  let  the  ice-plains  echo,  God  ! 

At  Chamouny  we  met  several  Americans,  and 
among  them,  Prof,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  and  daughter,  of 
Andover,  Mass.  The  day  before  we  left,  two  or  three 
courageous  travelers  began  the  perilous  and  expensive 
ascent  of  Mont  Blanc. 

Our  way  to  Martigny  was  by  the  pass  of  Tete 
Noir ;  and  its  scenery,  in  variety,  beauty,  wildness 
and  grandeur,  is  beyond  my  ability  to  describe.  As 
our  path  gradually  ascended,  Mont  Blanc  seemed  to 


MARTIGNY — GKAND    ST.    BERNARD.  61 

follow  us  as  some  great  presence  looming  up  in  awful 
majesty.  Our  mule-path  now  wound  along  the 
shelving  edge  of  tremendous  precipices,  with  snow- 
capped mountain  summits  far  ahove  us,  and  deep, 
abysmal  ravines  far  beneath  us,  while  across  our  track 
crystal  cascades  bounded  to  the  rushing  stream  below. 
Then  a  splendid  glacier,  skirted  by  a  pine  grove, 
would  burst  upon  our  view ;  then  a  naked  mountain- 
pile  of  rocks  would  literally  overhang  our  path,  which, 
for  a  short  distance,  had  to  be  tunneled  through  the 
bold  and  precipitous  ledge ;  then  a  little  island-like 
prominence  would  rise  from  the  deep  gorge  surround- 
ing it,  and  on  which  would  stand  a  cottage  or  two, 
with  a  few  patches  of  cultivated  soil ;  then  in  some 
nook  within  an  amphitheater  of  mountains,  would  be 
nestled  a  cluster  of  rude  dwelling-houses,  seeming  to 
repose  in  the  isolation  of  a  silent  and  death-like  seclu- 
sion. On*  the  one  hand  a  splendid  waterfall  would 
greet  us,  and  on  the  other,  some  marvel  of  rock, 
or  bridge,  or  chasm,  or  perilous  bend  in  our  path. 
Thus  we  passed  on,  hour  after  hour,  till  we  reached 
the  summit  of  Forclaz ;  and  then,  by  a  long  zig-zag 
descent,  amid  shadowing  trees,  we  reached  Martigny 
after  dark. 

The  following  day  we  made  a  considerable  journey, 
partly  by  char,  or  carriage,  and  partly  on  mules,  to 
that  most  interesting  spot  in  these  Alpine  solitudes, 
the  Hospice  of  Grand  St.  Bernard.  It  is  one  of  the 
highest  passes  in  these  sublime  mountains,  its  eleva- 
tion being  more  than  eight  thousand  feet,  or  half  the 
whole  height  of  Mont  Blanc.  Before  we  reached  it, 
"  the  shades  of  night  were  falling  fast,"  and  patches 


62  A   DAT   AT   THE    HOSPICE DOGS. 

of  snow  and  ice  lay  around  us,  while  the  entire 
region,  utterly  destitute  of  vegetation,  presented  an 
aspect  of  chilling  bleakness  and  dread  desolation.  On 
arriving  at  the  Hospice,  the  sight  of  such  a  building 
in  such  a  place — a  substantial  stone  edifice,  with  com- 
fortable rooms  and  beds,  a  good  supper,  and  a  fire  in 
the  parlor — was  very  grateful.  We  were  kindly  re- 
ceived and  entertained  by  the  resident  monks,  who 
lead  a  self-denying  life  in  that  desolate  place  for  the 
good  of  others.  Often  hundreds  of  travelers  are  fed 
and  lodged  daily,  and  no  charges  are  made.  It  is 
customary,  however,  for  those  who  are  able,  to  leave 
a  liberal  sum  for  their  entertainment.  But  the  great 
majority  are  poor  people,  and  they  give  nothing. 
Valuable  presents  have  been  sent  to  the  Hospice 
by  those  who  have  visited  it.  Recently  a  lady  sent  a 
piano.  "Who  has  not  heard  of  the  dogs  of  St.  Bernard, 
and  their  exploits  in  rescuing  travelers  benighted  and 
overtaken  by  terrible  storms  of  snow  !  I  saw  half  a 
dozen  of  these  noble-looking,  sagacious  and  useful 
animals.  There  is  a  chapel  of  considerable  size  con- 
nected with  the  main  building,  and  as  it  was  Sunday, 
we  attended  awhile  the  service,  which  consisted  of  the 
usual  forms  of  the  Romish  Church.  About  two  hun- 
dred persons  were  present.  A  chime  of  bells  which 
awoke  us  at  five  in  the  morning,  calling  to  early  mass, 
sounded  very  pleasantly  in  that  awfully  desolate  re- 
gion. There  is  quite  a  library  at  the  Hospice,  and 
various  old  Roman  relics,  including  coins  and  imple- 
ments of  war  found  on  this  spot,  which  was  once  the 
site  of  a  fortress.  The  Hospice  was  founded  in  the 
tenth  century  by  Bernard,  who  appears  to  have  been 


THE  MORGUE ALBUM PARTING          63 

a  pious,  benevolent  man,  and  was  subsequently  canon- 
ized. Napoleon,  with  great  difficulty,  took  his  army 
over  this  pass  just  before  the  battle  of  Marengo.  I 
should  have  alluded  to  the  Morgue,  or  receptacle  for 
the  remains  of  strangers  who  have  died  at  the  Hospice, 
or  perished  in  mountain  storms  and  avalanches.  It  is 
a  low  building,  near  the  main  edifice ;  and  as  you 
look  in  through  a  grated  door  or  window,  you  see 
standing  all  around  the  room,  or  leaning  against  its 
walls,  grim,  ghastly  and  withered  corpses  staring  at 
you  in  the  twilight  gloom  of  the  place.  The  floor, 
also,  is  covered  with  skulls  and  other  human  bones. 
These  remains  are  placed  here,  that  they  may  be 
identified  by  friends ;  and  if  not  claimed,  they  seem 
to  be  allowed  to  remain,  as  in  such  a  high  atmosphere 
they  wither  away  without  being  offensive.  Still,  one 
does  not  wish  to  look  at  such  a  spectacle  but  once.  It 
is  amusing  to  look  over  the  register  of  visitors,  and 
read  the  various  sentiments  and  bits  of  rhyme  which 
many  have  recorded  with  their  names.  The  hospi- 
tality of  the  monks  elicits  a  good  share  of  praise.  I 
left  these  lines : 

As  pilgrims  found,  in  days  of  old, 

The  great  rock-shade  refreshing,  sweet, 
So  travelers  now,  from  wintery  cold, 

Find  St.  Bernard  a  blest  retreat. 

• 

On  returning  to  Martigny,  I  was  sorry  to  part  with 
Rev.  Dr.  Gillette,  my  highly  esteemed  and  agreeable 
traveling  associate  from  the  time  we  left  New  York 
in  June  last.  His  course  thence  was  homeward. 
May  he  have  a  pleasant  and  safe  journey  ! 

Our  next  tour  was  up  the  valley  of  the  Eh  one  to 


64:  MOONLIGHT    DKIVE BATHS    OF   LEUK. 

the  Baths  of  Leuk,  all  the  way  by  carriage.  The  last 
nine  miles,  after  turning  to  the  left,  and  entering  ano- 
ther valley,  through  which  we  ascended  to  the  verge 
of  the  Gemmi  pass,  were  traversed  under  the  pure 
light  of  a  full  moon,  and  amid  scenery  remarkable  for 
its  wildness  and  variety.  The  beautiful  road  rapidly 
rises  by  constant  zigzags,  and  is  often  on  the  verge  of 
a  ravine  frightfully  deep  and  precipitous,  while  per- 
pendicular mountain  walls  stand  in  high  and  awful 
grandeur  above.  At  one  place,  we  cross  the  rushing 
and  roaring  stream  by  a  stone-arched  bridge  more 
than  four  hundred  feet  above  the  water.  The  mighty 
Alpine  summits,  back  of  the  valley  we  had  left, 
crowned  with  perpetual  snow,  and  glittering  in  the 
soft  moonbeams ;  and  the  far  tops  of  the  majestic 
rocky  battlements  before  and  around  us,  fringed  with 
a  snow-border,  frilled  and  flashing  in  lunar  radiance, 
were  sufficient  to  raise  to  the  highest  pitch  our  excite- 
ment and  admiration. 

The  Baths  of  Leuk  are  a  curiosity.  The  water  is 
slightly  saline,  and  comes  up  almost  boiling  hot  from 
volcanic  springs.  Attached  to  the  hotel  where  we 
stopped,  is  a  wing  containing  a  large  room,  in  which 
are  two  contiguous  bathing  tanks,  each  sufficient  for 
twenty  or  more  persons  to  bathe  together.  They  adopt 
this  social  method  on  account  of  the  length  of  time 
spent  in  the  bath,  which  after  a  few  days  is  *eight 
hours  daily,  four  in  the  morning  and  four  in  the 
afternoon.  I  rose  early  to  witness  the  first  act  in  the 
daily  drama.  On  entering  the  room,  I  saw  nearly  a 
dozen  males  in  one  department,  and  about  as  many 
females  in  the  other,  all  up  to  their  chins  in  water, 


THE  GEMMI  PASS THUN.  65 

and  all  clad  in  loose  woolen  robes.  Some  were  enter- 
taining themselves  in  playing  checkers  on  pieces  of 
floating  boards,  and  others  reading  books  and  papers, 
or  drinking  coffee,  floating  in  the  same  way.  Invalids 
are  brought  a  considerable  distance,  and  over  these 
precipitous  passes,  that  they  may  enjoy  the  benefit  of 
the  baths. 

As  we  arrived  at  the  village  the  previous  night,  we 
were  particularly  struck  with  the  vast  castellated 
mountain-walls,  hemming  in  the  place,  and  rising 
perpendicularly  over  two  thousand  feet.  And  now  in 
ascending  the  Gemmi  pass,  we  found  to  our  astonish- 
ment that  the  way  wound  up-  this  lofty  precipice  It 
is  a  fine  foot  or  bridle  path,  going  zigzag  up,  up,  one 
point  of  the  road  lying  directly  above  another,  and 
circling  declivities  where  the  way  is  sometimes  cut  in 
solid  rock,  a  sort  of  groove  in  the  immense  perpendic- 
ular wall.  One  could  often  stand  on  the  verge  of  the 
path,  and  drop  a  plum-line  sixteen  hundred  feet  before 
it  would  touch  below.  In  such  a  transit,  you  are  en- 
tirely safe  in  the  path  ;  but  a  single  step  over  it,  and 
you  are  lost !  There  is  a  magnificent  view  from  the 
summit.  Snow-crowned  mountains  and  Gothic  peaks 
are  seen,  stretching  away  in  long  ridges,  exposing  the 
sources  and  beds  of  their  glaciers,  while  green  and 
fertile  valleys,  dotted  over  with  humble  Swiss  cotta- 
ges, repose  in  striking  contrast  beneath.  The  descent 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Gemmi  to  Kandersteg  is  most- 
ly gradual,  and  through  a  region  of  rocky  barrenness. 

A  pleasant  ride  of  a  few  hours  the  next  day  brings 
you  to  the  beautiful  town  of  Tliun,  lying  at  the  foot 
of  the  lake  of  the  same  name.  Its  adjacent  grounds 


66  INTEKLACHEN SWISS   LAKES. 

and  country  seats,  or  villas,  are  the  most  charming  I 
have  seen  in  Switzerland.  A  delightful  sail  of  an  hour 
and  a  half  in  a  little  steamer,  and  you  reach  the  head 
of  the  lake,  and  a  mile  further  lies  Interlachen,  another 
finely-situated  town,  between  two  lakes,  as  its  name 
indicates,  and  at  the  time  we  were  there  honored  with 
the  presence  of  the  widow  of  Nicholas,  late  Emperor 
of  Russia.  The  lakes  of  Switzerland  are  as  lovely  and 
romantic  as  its  mountains  are  grand  and  stupendous. 
They  are  beautifully  bordered  with  bold  bluffs,  or  green 
slopes  covered  with  vineyards.  Their  waters  are  blue 
and  transparent  as  crystal.  "Who,  in  wandering  among 
such  scenes  does  not  feel  his  heart  swelling  in  grateful 
adoration  of  Him  who  "  girdeth  the  mountains  with 
strength,"  bids  the  water  gush  from  the  rocks  to  flow 
abroad  in  fertilizing  rivers,  and  spreads  out  the  clear 
lakes  to  reflect  the  heavens  ? 


YI. 

Stoiss—  J 


ONE  loves  to  linger  among  the  mountains  and  valleys 
of  Switzerland,  where  the  magnificent  forms  of  nature 
appear  in  such  boldness,  beauty  and  power.  The 
grandeur  and  glory  that  crown  these  exhibitions  of 
the  Divine  majesty  and  might,  almost  lead  us  to  forget 
the  humble  dwellers  amidst  their  shadows.  The  Swiss 
are  a  quiet,  somewhat  intelligent,  and  apparently 
happy  people.  They  are  necessarily  shut  up  in  small 
villages  or  hamlets  in  the  valleys  ;  and  to  make  the 
most  of  the  little  arable  soil  they  have,  they  often  ter- 
race the  mountain  slopes  far  up,  and  plant  little 
patches  of  grain  or  potatoes  in  sunny  spots  amid  the 
rocks.  Their  pasture  grounds  are  quite  extensive,  and 
are  well  covered  with  cattle  and  goats,  which  graze  on 
the  steep  declivities;  and  as  most  of  them  have  bells 
dangling  from  their  necks,  the  silence  of  those  great 
solitudes  is  thus  constantly  broken.  These  bells  have 
a  peculiarly  sweet  melody,  and  those  of  the  churches 
also,  all  of  which  have  one,  and  many  have  a  chime, 
and  they  are  quite  frequently  rung.  To  keep  their 
cattle  through  the  long  winter,  they  gather  all  the  hay 
possible,  mowing  steep  hill-sides  where  it  is  difficult 
to  stand.  I  saw  them  in  many  places  gathering  their 
second  crop,  which  was  often  quite  scanty,  yet  care- 


68  COTTAGES    AND    CHARACTERISTICS. 

fully  saved.  The  women  apparently  do  more  of  this 
out-door  work  than  the  men.  They  learn  to  swing 
the  scythe  with  grace  and  strength.  I  saw  many  of 
them  digging  potatoes  with  huge  forks  shaped  and 
used  like  hoes.  As  it  is  difficult  to  get  about  with 
vehicles  drawn  by  cattle  or  horses  on  their  steep  hill- 
sides, most  of  their  harvestings  are  carried  in  on  the 
backs  of  men  and  women.  They  have  a  deep  huge 
basket  or  rack  which  they  strap  to  their  shoulders,  and 
it  is  astonishing  to  see  the  immense  loads  they  will 
thus  carry,  even  over  long  distances.  In  taking  their 
hay  from  the  meadow  to  the  barn,  you  scarcely  see 
the  person  who  carries  it,  only  a  great  haystack  seem- 
ing to  walk  of  itself. 

Some  of  the  Swiss  cottages  are  beautiful,  and  quite 
ornamented  in  various  ways,  and  sometimes  you  will 
see  inscriptions  or  verses  on  their  fronts,  carved  or 
painted.  But  generally  the  houses  are  very  plain, 
often  built  of  hewn  logs,  and  roofed  with  flat  stones, 
or  coarse  shingles  held  in  their  places  by  frequent  rows 
of  large  stones.  It  may  be  that  these  stones  are  neces- 
sary to  protect  the  roof  and  the  house  itself  from  the 
terrific  winter  tempests  that  no  doubt  often  sweep 
howling  through  the  valleys.  The  dwelling  house  and 
the  barn  are  frequently  under  the  same  roof;  and  for 
protection  against  storms  and  avalanches,  all  the 
buildings  of  a  village  stand  sometimes  as  closely 
together  as  possible.  Enter  an  ordinary  cottage,  and 
you  will  not  find  it  over-neat  in  its  appearance,  or  that 
of  its  inmates.  The  latter,  however,  are  quite  polite 
and  sociable.  And  this  feature  of  politeness  is  univer- 
sal in  Europe.  I  wish  it  was  more  so  in  America. 


PRODUCTIONS SABBATH    OBSERVANCE.  69 

Even  the  little  boys  gracefully  take  off  their  hats  and 
bow.  It  is  pleasant  to  say  Bonjour  to  one  you  meet, 
and  receive  sucli  a  pleasant  return  of  the  salutation. 

All  sorts  of  vegetables  seem  to  grow  luxuriantly 
in  Switzerland.  Potatoes  are  raised  in  abundance, 
and  some  Indian  corn.  The  first  Indian  corn  1  saw 
was  in  Germany,  near  Frankfort.  In  coming  from 
our  country,  where  it  is  so  common,  one  constantly 
notes  its  absence,  in  traveling  over  the  British  islands 
and  most  of  the  Continent.  The  people  in  Europe 
have  a  way  of  planting  large  fields,  not  with  one,  but 
various  kinds  of  grain  or  vegetables,  each  in  long 
narrow  strips,  a  rod  wide,  perhaps,  growing  side  by 
side,  and  giving  the  field  at  a  little  distance,  with  its 
different  colors,  the  appearance  of  a  striped  carpet. 
Apples,  -pears,  peaches,  plums,  and  especially  grapes, 
are  abundant.  In  Switzerland  you  everywhere  find 
excellent  honey,  and  I  might  add  milk ;  it  is  "  a  land 
flowing  with  "  them. 

The  Sabbath  seems  to  be  better  observed  by  the 
Swiss  than  by  other  Europeans.  It  was  delightful  to 
hear  the  sweet  Sabbath  bells  pealing  through  the  vales, 
and  to  notice  a  general  abstinence  from  work,  and  see 
the  peasantry  neatly  clad,  making  their  way  to  the 
house  of  God.  What  early  associations,  and  dear 
thoughts  of  home  it  awakened !  I  could  see  again 
the  old  meeting-house  of  my  childhood,  the  family 
pew,  and  the  earnest  man  of  God,  with  silver  hairs, 
in  the  little  high  pulpit.  I  could  see,  too,  my  own 
beloved  people  assembling  in  their  wonted  sanctuary, 
and  in  spirit  be  with  them.  Some  of  the  Cantons  of 
Switzerland  are  Protestant,  and  in  them  everything 


70  DUST-STKEAM — WENGEKN   ALP JUNGFKAU. 

wears  a  better  appearance.  Whether  their  Protestant- 
ism is  evangelical  and  spiritual,  I  had  no  means  of 
definite  knowledge.  Romanism  all  over  Europe 
reveals  itself  constantly  in  images  of  stone,  wood,  or 
paint,  on  churches,  dwellings,  shops,  by  the  wayside 
and  in  the  fields.  You  everywhere  see  crosses,  cruci- 
fixes and  images  of  the  Virgin  and  Child.  They  are 
supposed  to  be  a  protection  against  pestilence  in  the 
cities,  dangers  on  the  rivers,  and  blights  in  the  fields. 
It  is  really  painful,  and  often  disgusting,  to  witness 
such  evidences  of  superstition. 

In  resuming  the  narrative  of  my  Alpine  journeys,  I 
begin  at  Interlachen,  where  it  was  left.  A  short  car- 
riage drive,  passing  an  old  castle  where  "Manfred"  is 
said  to  have  lived,  brought  us  to  Lauterbrunnen,  where 
the  valley  narrows  to  a  deep  mountain  gorge.  Here 
is  the  Staubbach  Fall,  or  Dust  Stream,  a  beautiful 
sight.  A  small  stream  falls  over  a  perpendicular 
precipice  about  nine  hundred  feet ;  but  the  water 
turns  to  spray  long  before  it  reaches  the  bottom,  and 
in  that  form  falls  on  the  rocks,  where  it  gathers  itself 
into  a  stream  again.  Here  we  begin  the  ascent  of  the 
"Wengern  Alp,  the  ladies  on  horses,  the  rest  of  us  on 
foot.  As  we  rise  rapidly,  the  Jungfrau,  snow-clad  in 
virgin  whiteness,  presents  a  majestic  and  glorious 
form  to  our  view.  As  we  reach  a  still  more  elevated 
position  on  the  southern  slope,  and  near  the  summit  of 
the  "Wengern  Alp,  we  seem  to  be  under  the  very 
shadow  of  the  Jungfrau,  and  separated  from  it  only 
by  a  narrow  gorge.  Before  reaching  this  point,  we 
had  heard  sounds  like  the  heavy  roar  of  distant  artil- 
lery, and  knew  at  once  that  they  were  from  avalan- 


AVALANCHES — GKINDELWALD.  71 

clies  out  of  sight.  From  the  immense  beds  of  snow 
and  ice  on  this  sky-piercing  mountain,  they  frequently 
form  and  fall.  "We  were  anxious  to  be  gratified  with 
the  sight  of  one  at  least.  Presently  a  volley-like 
sound  broke  upon  our  ears,  and  looking  up  the  slope 
of  the  Jungfrau,  we  saw  an  immense  mass  of  crushed 
and  tumbling  ice  and  snow  thundering  down  to  the 
vale  beneath — a  sight  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  A 
short  time  after,  we  saw  another,  and  heard  the  distant 
roar  and  long  reverberations  of  others  beyond  our 
view.  At  a  distance,  these  avalanches  look  small  com- 
paratively, but  are  really  of  sufficient  size  and  force 
to  sweep  away  whole  forests,  and  villages  if  found  in 
their  track.  In  these  ascents,  we  frequently  find  a 
peasant,  who,  for  a  few  centimes,  is  anxious  to  blow 
his  long  wooden  "Alpine  horn,"  that  we  may  enjoy 
its  numerous  and  delicate  echoes.  It  commenced 
raining  soon  after  we  began  to  descend,  and  the  mag- 
nificent summits  above  us  were  all  enveloped  in  clouds. 
We  reached  the  beautiful  village  of  Grindelwald. early 
in  the  evening.  Here  we  were  detained  a  day  by 
unpleasant  weather.  Two  immense  glaciers,  from 
vast  fields  of  ice  and  snow  above,  come  down  the 
ravines  between  three  immense  and  wildly-grand 
mountains  that  here  abruptly  terminate  the  valley  on 
the  south,  in  which  Grindelwald  is  nestled.  One  of 
these  glaciers  descends  to  a  point  below  the  level  of 
the  village.  I  found  time  between  the  intervals  of 
rain  to  walk  to  this  glacier  and  get  upon  its  icy  crest, 
by  climbing  a  little  way  up  the  Mettenberg  or  middle 
mountain.  The  names  of  the  other  mountains  are 
Eigher,  on  the  right,  and  Wetterhorn  on  the  left. 


72  GREAT    SCHEIDECK STOEM REICHENBACH. 

From  my  position  on  the  glacier,  I  bad  a  most  charm- 
ing view  of  the  village,  while  the  three  giant  moun- 
tains seemed  more  rugged  and  awfully  sublime,  con- 
templated under  their  very  shadows. 

We  next  made  the  pass  of  the  Great  Scheideck,  all 
taking  horses  but  myself.  Having  the  physical 
strength  which  is  invigorated  by  the  effort,  I  prefer 
walking  over  these  grand  mountains,  with  my  thick- 
soled  shoes,  and  Alpenstock,  or  baton,  pointed  with 
iron  at  one  end,  and  tipped  with  the  chamois-horn  at 
the  other.  After  climbing  one  of  the  most  difficult 
and  lofty  summits,  and  where  the  views  are  scarcely 
surpassed  in  their  bold  and  stupendous  magnificence, 
we  found  ourselves,  and  all  about  us,  enveloped  in  a 
storm  of  rain  and  snow.  Occasionally  the  clouds 
would  part,  and  disclose  a  mountain-summit  or  spire- 
like  peak  that  seemed  to  hang  from  the  sky,  and  so 
near  to  us  as  almost  to  lean  over  our  path.  In  our 
descent,  we  passed  some  fine  waterfalls,  and  one  near 
Eeichenbach  really  splendid,  and  though  of  greater 
volume,  reminded  me  at  once  of  the  Minnehaha  in 
Minnesota.  We  reached  Myringen  after  journeying 
eight  or  nine  hours,  and  were  glad  to  find  a  comfort- 
able hotel  and  a  go6d  fire. 

At  this  point,  all  of  our  party,  except  Rev.  Mr. 
Child  and  myself,  took  a  nearer  course  to  Lucerne, 
while  we  were  anxious  for  further  mountain  excur- 
sions. Parting,  with  good  wishes  for  each  other's 
health  and  pleasure,  we  took  our  pedestrian  way 
toward  the  Grimsel,  our  guide  carrying  what 
little  baggage  we  had  with  us.  Soon  we  entered  a 
beautiful  and  nearly  circular  valley  about  half  a  mile 


A   HAPPY   VALLEY IIANDEK GRIMSEL.  73 

in  diameter,  and  completely  hemmed  in  by  mountain 
walls,  the  only  outlet,  breaking  the  lofty  barriers,  be- 
ing a  narrow  rift"  in  the  rocks  for  a  little  stream  to 
flow  through.  The  soil  is  rich,  perfectly  level,  and 
was,  no  doubt,  once  the  bed  of  a  lake.  We  passed 
numerous  peasants,  who  seemed  to  be  happy,  working 
in  the  open  air.  In  stopping  to  play  with  some  little 
children,  their  mother  made  us  understand  that  their 
father  was  killed  by  an  avalanche  last  winter.  Our 
guide  told  us  he  was  near  him  at  the  time,  and  when 
we  arrived  at  the  place,  he  pointed  out  the  precise  spot 
where  the  sad  event  occurred.  It  was  a  desolate 
region  near  the  Hospice  of  the  Grimsel.  Our  path 
was  through  a  region  up  the  valley  of  the  Aar,  wrild 
and  desolate,  the  precipitous  sides  of  the  lofty  granite 
mountains  having  a  peculiarly  smooth  and  worn 
appearance,  as  if  raging  torrents  or  mighty  glaciers 
had  rolled  or  ground  over  them  for  ages.  Prof.  Agas- 
siz,  I  believe,  accounts  for  their  slippery  look  in  this 
way.  He  has  traversed  these  regions,  and  his  name 
we  observed,  cut  in  one  of  these  smooth  rocks  by  the 
path.  Tbe  imagination  often  goes  back  to  the  time 
when  these  "  mountains  were  brought  forth,"  and  tries 
to  picture  the  wild  commotions  and  the  terrific  dis- 
plays of  nature's  elements  and  forces  amid  the  awful 
solitudes  of  that  far-off  epoch.  At  Handek  we  saw 
one  of  the  finest  waterfalls  in  Europe.  Two  streams, 
coming  from  different  directions,  flow  over  an  im- 
mense precipice  in  separate  columns  at  the  top,  but 
unite  their  waters  into  one  foaming  torrent  about  half- 
way down  the  falls.  By  a  gradual  ascent  of  some 
twenty  miles,  with  snow-clad  summits  around  us,  we 


74:  KHONE   GLACIER FTJKCA ANDEKHATT. 

reached  the  Grimsel  Hospice,  situated  some  7000  feet 
above  the  sea,  in  about  as  desolate  and  dreary  a  place 
as  can  be  imagined. 

The  next  morning,  after  ascending  a  thousand  feet 
higher,  we  began  to  descend.  Snow  and  ice  were  all 
about  us,  and  we  encountered  several  men  out  break- 
ing a  path  in  the  fresh-fallen  or  drifted  snow.  Amid 
the  grand  views  of  this  region,  we  soon  got  sight  of 
the  Rhone  Glacier,  one  of  the  finest  in  all  the  Alps. 
The  Rhone  takes  its  rise  here,  and  surely  no  river 
could  have  a  sublimer  birth-plaae  or  more  gorgeous 
cradle.  We  drank  at  the  place  where  it  issues  from 
a  cavern  in  the  glacier,  and  leaped  over  the  infant 
stream ;  and  then  climbing  upon  the  glacier,  we 
walked  full  three  miles  on  its  rough  icy  surface,  often 
jumping  over  crevices  of  immense  depth.  Far  above 
us,  where  the  ice-torrent  flows  over  from  unseen 
sources  beyond,  it  looks  as  one  standing  below  Niaga- 
ra might  imagine  that  to  look,  if  it  were  suddenly  fro- 
zen and  stopped  in  its  course.  Leaving  the  glacier, 
we  made  a  long  ascent  amid  pasture-slopes,  covered 
with  cattle  and  goats,  till  we  reached  the  Furca,  a 
summit  affording  magnificent  Alpine  views  in  all 
directions.  Descending  in  the  valley  of  the  Reuss,  and 
passing  the  St.  Gothard  on  our  right,  we  arrived,  early 
in  the  evening  at  Andermatt,  situated  on  the  St.  Go- 
thard pass  to  Italy. 

We  had  a  fine  drive  from  Andermatt  to  Lake 
Lucerne.  The  way  led  down  the  valley  of  the  roaring 
Reuss,  and  amid  scenery,  for  wild  picturesqueness  and 
astonishing  sublimity,  equal  to  anything  I  have  seen. 
This  particularly  applies  to  a  place  called  the  Devil's 


HOME   OF   TELL LAKE   LUCKRNE WEGGIS.  75 

Bridge,  where  the  lofty  and  bare  mountain-walls,  ris- 
ing from  the  vale,  almost  touch  each  other,  scarcely 
giving  room  for  the  river  to  pass,  which  here  makes 
several  deep  plunges  down  the  fearful  rocks.  The  car- 
riage road  for  three  hundred  feet  is  tunneled  through 
a  portion  of  the  mountain.  Avalanches  frequently 
thunder  down  into  this  valley,  and  the  road  in  one 
place,  for  a  considerable  distance,  is  walled  in  and 
over,  to  protect  it  from  them.  Little  niches  by  the  way 
are  made  in  the  rocks  or  mountain-slope,  into  which 
travelers  can  run  from  a  threatening  avalanche. 

About  two  miles  before  we  -reach  the  lake,  we  pass 
through  Altorf,  the  home  of  William  Tell.  A  chapel 
marks  his  birth-place.  In  the  public  square  is  a  statue 
of  him  and  his  boy,  indicating  the  spot  where  lie  shot 
the  apple  from  his  head.  Soon  after  taking  the 
steamer  at  Fluelen,  we  pass,  on  the  right  bank,  a  little 
chapel  ornamented  with  frescoes,  where  Tell  sprang 
ashore,  on.  escaping  from  a  boat  in  which  Gessler  held 
him  a  prisoner.  Another  chapel,  as  you  pass  from 
Lake  Lucerne  to  Lake  Zug,  commemorates  the  spot 
where  Tell,  concealed  in  the  forest,  shot  his  tyrant  foe. 
Near  Tell's  birth-place  we  crossed  a  stream,  in  which 
he  is  said  to  have  been  drowned  in  endeavoring  to  res- 
cue a  child  from  the  water.  How  interesting  to  visit 
these  localities,  and  to  look  upon  scenes  in  nature 
long  ago  familiar  to  the  eye  of  the  Swiss  patriot,  of 
whom  we  had  read  in  our  childhood ! 

Passing  some  two-thirds  of  the  way  down  the  calm 
blue  surface  of  this  rock-framed  mirror  of  nature,  the 
most  romantic  of  all  the  Swiss  group  of  lakes,  we  reach 
Weggis,  a  little  village  on  the  right  bank,  and  at  the 


76  ASCENT    OF   THE   KIGI A    ST.  OEM. 

foot  of  the  Rigi,  a  sort  of  isolated  mountain,  about  the 
height  of  our  Mt.  Washington,  and  perhaps  ascended 
by  more  persons  than  any  other  Alpine  summit 
attracts.  Yiews  from  its  top  are  wide  and  various, 
and  its  sunsets  and  sunrises  are  said  often  to  be  glo- 
rious as  the  gates  of  heaven.  We  had  reserved  this 
mountain  to  the  last,  and  anticipated  much  in  its 
ascent.  It  was  now  a  beautiful  day,  and  we  lost  no 
time,  it  being  already  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
in  climbing  up  its  steep  nine-mile  path,  which  I 
accomplished  on  foot  under  a  hot  sun,  and  reached  the 
summit  in  a  drowning  perspiration,  half  an  hour 
before  sunset,  when  the  golden  orb  popped  behind  a 
dense  dark  cloud,  and  so  went  clown.  Though  we  lost 
the  sunset,  we  enjoyed  a  panorama  of  unparalleled 
beauty  and  grandeur,  embracing  endless  snow-crowned 
Alps  in  the  distance,  upon  whose  thousand  glaciers  we 
could  look,  and  at  our  feet  lay  a  circle  of  enchanting 
lakes,  mirroring  the  mountains  beneath  their  deep  blue 
surface,  and  fringed  around  with  cities,  villages,  and 
luxuriant  vineyards.  Such  a  scene  and  moment  are 
daguerreotyped  forever  on  the  memory.  We  met  the 
rest  of  our  party  on  the  Rigi,  and  hoped  for  a  good 
sunrise.  But  the  starlight  of  evening  gave  place  to  a 
rain-storm  and  furious  wind  that  fairly  shook  the 
mountain,  and  made  our  hotel  tremble  like  a  leaf.  It 
was  long  after  sunrise  before  the  storm  abated,  and  the 
clouds  that  enveloped  us  withdrew.  Visitors  there 
are  liable  to  such  disappointments,  and  happy  is  he  who 
can  enjoy  even  a  tempest  as  I  did.  A  luckless  tourist 
has  thus  recorded  his  experience  : 


A    PRKDICAMKNT MOUNT    PILATUS LUCERNE.  77 

"  Nine  weary  uphill  miles  we  sped, 

The  setting  sun  to  see  ; 
Sulky  and  grim  he  went  to  bed, 

Sulky  and  grim  went  we. 
Seven  sleepless  hours  we  tossed,  and  then, 

The  rising  sun  to  see, 
Sulky  and  grim  we  rose  again, 

Sulky  and  grim  rose  he." 

It  was  quite  late  before  I  rose  that  morning.  I  had 
taken  but  one  suit  of  clothes  and  a  little  extra  linen 
for  my  pedestrian  tours  in  the  Alps.  I  found  to  my 
surprise  that  my  outside  garments,  drenched  with  per- 
spiration in  ascending  the  Rigi,  had  not  seemed  to  dry 
at  all  through  the  night,  and  as  there  was  no  bell  in 
the  room,  I  waited  for  some  one  to  appear.  At  length 
a  chambermaid  popped  her  head  through  the  door,  but 
vanished  instantly.  An  hour  after,  one  of  our  party 
came  to  inquire  for  me.  He  called  a  servant  and  had 
my  clothes  taken  to  the  kitchen.  They  came  back  in 
an  hour,  but  alas,  only  one  side  of  them  had  felt  the 
fire.  They  were  sent  down  again,  and  it  was  full 
another  hour,  before  I  could  appear  at  breakfast, 
which  answered  for  dinner  as  well. 

We  descended  that  afternoon,  and  soon  reached 
Lucerne  by  steamer,  Mount  Pilatus  looming  up  grandly 
on  our  left.  There  is  an  old  tradition  that  Pilate,  ban- 
ished from  Judea  to  Gaul,  wandered  conscience- 
stricken,  till  he  ended  his  life  by  throwing  himself  into 
a  lake  on  the  top  of  this  mountain,  and  hence  its 
name. 

Lucerne  is  an  interesting  town,  having  an  old  high 
wall  in  its  rear,  and  a  splendid  monument  to  the 


T8  ZUEICH — CONSTANCE JOHN    HUSS. 

Swiss  Guards  at  Paris,  in  1792,  in  the  form  of  a  dying 
lion  endeavoring  to  preserve  an  armorial  shield.  It 
was  modeled  by  Thorwaldsen,  and  the  figure,  twenty- 
eight  feet  long,  is  cut  in  a  large  wall  of  solid  rock. 
Two  long  bridges  over  the  Reuss  are  ornamented 
under  the  roof  by  a  series  of  paintings,  one  repre- 
senting historical  scenes,  and  the  other  the  Dance  of 
Death.  "We  took  the  pleasant  route  to  Zurich,  partly 
by  lakes  and  partly  by  diligences,  and  found  it  a  very 
lively  Paris-like  little  town,  in  the  midst  of  a  vine- 
growing  country.  Some  of  our  party  went  to  Berne, 
and  others  of  us  to  Constance,  which  we  reached  by 
railway  to  Romanshorn,  and  the  remaining  distance 
by  steamer,  on  the  beautiful  Lake  of  Constance. 
It  is  an  old  dilapidated  town,  with  few  inhabitants 
compared  with  its  former  number.  We  were  spec- 
ially interested  in  the  memorials  it  contains  of  John 
Huss.  In  the  Minster  or  cathedral,  we  stood  on  the 
very  stone  in  the  floor  wrhere  he  stood  when  his  sen- 
tence was  delivered  to  him.  We  found  the  house 
where  he  lodged,  and  went  to  the  field  in  the  suburbs, 
where  he  was  burned  at  the  stake  in  1415,  and 
Jerome,  of  Prague,  two  years  after.  We  visited  the 
old  Dominican  Convent  where  Huss  was  imprisoned. 
It  is  now  put  to  the  better  use  of  printing  calico. 
We  also  entered  the  Ifaufhaus,  or  old  hall,  where  the 
great  Council  met  by  which  the  two  martyrs  were 
condemned,  and  two  infamous  popes  deposed  and 
another  elected.  Its  sessions  continued  several  years, 
and  it  embraced  delegates,  ecclesiastical  and  civil, 
from  all  Christendom.  We  saw  the  chairs  occupied 
by  the  Emperor  and  the  Pope  on  that  occasion,  and 


CHATEAU    OF    HORTEXSK —  RHIXIO    FALLS — THE    LAKE.  79 

also  the  body  of  the  car  in  which  John  Huss  was 
drawn  to  execution.  When  called  upon  to  recant,  his 
reply  was,  "  I  cannot  break  my  word  to  my  God." 
He  met  his  fate  with  a  fortitude  that  moved  the 
hearts  of  his  executioners  and  enemies.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  look  upon  these  old  buildings  that  have 
stood  so  long,  and  were  the  theater  of  events  that 
transpired  before  America  was  known.  The  great 
and  imposing  Council  soon  passed  away,  but  the  old 
hall  remains ;  and  he  whom  they  condemned  as  a 
heretic  to  death,  becomes  a  sainted  martyr,  and  a 
shining  light  forever,  while  scarcely  a  name  of  their 
own  is  preserved  from  oblivion. 

A  few  hours'  sail  down  the  Rhine  brings  us  to  Schaff- 
hausen,  passing  by  the  way  on  our  left  the  beautiful 
Chateau  or  country  residence  of  Hortense,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Josephine  and  mother  of  the  present  French 
Emperor,  who  lived  a  number  of  years  at  this  place. 
A  pleasant  drive  of  three  or  four  miles,  amid  lux- 
uriant vineyards,  whose  white  and  purple  clusters 
tempt  the  eye,  takes  us  to  the  Falls  of  the  Rhine,  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  celebrated  on  the  Continent, 
reminding  me  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  We  con- 
sidered ourselves  well  paid  for  the  excursion  to  see 
them.  Having  a  desire  to  see  Munich  and  Vienna,  I 
changed  my  purpose  to  return  to  Geneva,  and  so  at 
Schaffliausen  I  left  my  agreeable  associate  in  travel 
and  proceeded  toward  Bavaria  alone.  Nearly  all  of 
one  day  was  spent  in  returning  to  Constance,  and 
crossing  the  Lake  to  Lindau.  It  was  a  beautiful  day, 
and  the  lake  lay  like  a  dream  in  a  soft  haze,  so  sur- 
rounding it  and  blending  water,  land  and  sky,  as 


80  AUGSBUEG — PRIESTS    AND    EELICS. 

hardly  to  leave  the  lines  of  separation  visible,  while  a 
glorious  sunset  tinted  the  glassy  surface  with  golden 
hues.  This  was  a  rare  picture,  inimitable  by  painter 
or  poet,  but  which  the  soul's  eye  admires  and  retains 
that  it  may  feast  on  the  etherial  vision. 

The  railway  to  Augsburg,  150  miles,  leads  through 
a  fertile  and  well  cultivated  country,  undulating  at 
first  like  New-England,  and  afterwards  level.  In  the 
distance  the  Swiss  and  Tyrolese  Alps,  in  their  crowns 
of  snow,  are  prominent  objects.  The  buildings  in 
Augsburg  have  an  appearance  of  ancient  and  decayed 
splendor.  Some  of  their  fronts  are  frescoed,  and  in 
the  principal  streets  several  bronze  fountains,  erected 
in  the  sixteenth  century  attract  attention.  The  cath- 
edral is  a  large  edifice,  in  the  Byzantine  style,  and 
besides  pictures  and  statuary,  contains  a  model  of  the 
Agony  in  the  Garden — an  Angel  offering  a  cup  to 
Christ,  and  the  three  Apostles  asleep  among  palms. 
Adjoining  is  the  Palace  where  the  Augsburg  Con- 
fession was  presented  to  Charles  V.,  in  1635.  The 
.Kaufhaus,  in  the  Italian  style,  has  some  good  pain- 
tings and  finely-carved  ceilings.  On  entering  the  St. 
Ulrish  and  Alfra  church,  I  found  a  priest  exhibiting  to 
three  other  priests  apparently  the  remains  or  gorg- 
eously appareled  skeleton  of  St.  Alfra,  and  some  other 
relics,  as  bones  of  saints,  which  the  priests  touched 
with  their  beads,  except  one,  who  touched  them  with 
his  finger,  and  put  his  finger  to  his  tongue.  What 
virtue  or  power  to  work  miracles  they  thus  received, 
remains  for  future  experience  to  decide.  The  hotel 
of  the  Three  Moors,  where  I  stopped,  is  more  than 
five  hundred  years  old,  and  contains  a  room  where 


AUGSBURG   TO    MUNICH.  81 

the  Emperor  Charles  Y.  was  entertained  by  Count 
Fugger,  whose  mansion  it  once  was.  There  is  nothing 
of  special  interest  in  the  two  hours'  trip  by  rail  to 
Munich;  but  Munich  itself  is  full  of  interest. 


VII. 

§aterm— gustrm— 

MUNICH,  the  beautiful  capital  of  Bavaria,  is  a  place 
of  many  and  varied  attractions.  It  has  a  level  situa- 
tion on  the  "Iser  rolling  rapidly,"  and  its  general 
aspect  is  very  pleasant.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  most  beau- 
tiful city  in  the  German  States.  Its  streets  are  gener- 
ally broad  and  clean,  its  buildings  neat  and  tasteful, 
and  some  of  its  suburbs  charming.  Then  it  is  a  great 
center  of  art,  and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  of  science 
and  literature.  Liebig  resides  here,  who  has  done 
more  to  advance  Organic  Chemistry  than  any  other 
man.  Here  Steinheil  lives,  who  is  regarded  by  many 
as  almost  dividing  with  Prof.  Morse  the  honor  of 
inventing  the  Telegraph.  Here  is  a  flourishing  Uni- 
versity, presenting  a  fine  array  of  buildings.  The 
Royal  Library  is  a  magnificent  edifice,  and  contains 
over  900,000  volumes,  and  has  room  for  2,000,000.  It 
is  the  largest  library,  with  one  exception,  in  the  world. 
The  principal  buildings,  devoted  to  paintings  and  sculp- 
tures, are  each  over  five  hundred  feet  long,  and  are 
beautiful  in  design  and  finish,  and  some  of  them  are 
outwardly  adorned  with  fine  frescoes'  and  statuary. 
The  old  Pinacothek  contains  a  multitude  of  pictures 
by  several  of  the  old  masters,  as  Raphael,  Titian, 
Murillo  and  Rubens.  The  new  Pinacothek  has  a 
splendid  collection  of  modern  paintings.  The  Deluge, 


MUNICH ART    GALLMRIKS    AND    CHURCHES.  83 

a  large  picture  not  quite  finished  when  the  artist  died, 
long  detains  the  observer;  but  he  will  linger  still 
longer,  and  in  profounder  admiration,  before  the  Des- 
truction of  Jerusalem,  by  Kaulbach,  a  Munich  artist, 
and  ranked  as  the  greatest  of  living  painters.  Visiting 
his  studio  one  day,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him. 
This,  his  masterpiece,  is  wonderful  for  the  grouping 
and  expression  of  its  figures,  and  the  exquisite  finish 
of  the  whole.  The  Glyptothek  is  full  of  fine  statuary, 
ancient  and  modern.  Besides  these,  there  are  many 
other  galleries  of  art  in  the  city.  King  Ludwig, 
notorious  for  his  relations  to  Lola  Montez,  spent  vast 
sums  to  adorn  his  capital.  Perhaps  the  finest  bronze 
statues  in  the  world  are  cast  here.  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  one  of  Henry  Clay,  just  finished,  and  ere  this 
on  its  way  to  Xew  Orleans,  in  one  of  whose  squares  it 
is  to  stand.  It  is  a  perfect  and  lifelike  representation 
of  the  great  Kentucky  orator  and  statesman,  as  he 
often  appeared  in  addressing  the  United  States  Senate. 
Fine  models  of  Washington,  (equestrian,)  Jefferson, 
and  Patrick  Henry,  were  waiting  to  take  the  enduring 
form  of  brass.  In  a  pleasant  suburb,  and  fronting  the 
splendid  Hall  of  Fame,  stands  a  colossal  statue  of 
Bavaria,  a  bronze  female  figure  and  lion.  It  stands 
on  a  pedestal  of  marble  forty  feet  high,  and  the  figure 
itself  is  sixty  feet  high.  By  a  spiral  staircase  within, 
I  ascended  to  the  head,  in  which  I  was  able  to  stand 
erect. 

Some  of  the  churches  of  Munich  are  rich  in  archi- 
tectural and  pictorial  embellishments.  Such  are  the 
Basilica,  or  church  of  St.  Boniface,  the  Ludwig-Kirche, 
and  a  Gothic  church  in  the  suburbs,  whose  painted 


84:  MUNICH CKMKTEKY RUSSIAN   BATH. 

windows  are  a  marvel  of  beautiful  coloring.  There  is 
but  one  Protestant  church  in  the  city.  It  is  a  fine, 
large,  almost  circular  edifice,  capable  of  seating  about 
two  thousand ;  and  it  was  well  filled  on  the  Sabbath 
I  attended  service,  the  congregation  not  differing  in 
appearance,  dress,  and  attention,  from  one  in  New- 
York  or  New-England.  The  singing  is  congregational 
and  good.  The  sermon  is  delivered  without  manu- 
script, and  without  gestures,  in  a  calm,  yet  somewhat 
earnest  manner.  The  Queen  of  Bavaria,  who  is  a 
Protestant,  occupied  her  pew,  and  seemed  to  join 
devoutly  in  the  services.  Her  husband,  King  Maxim- 
ilian II.,  is  a  Romanist. 

In  the  midst  of  the  Cemetery,  in  which  there  are 
some  fine  monuments,  stands  a  large  building  contain- 
ing various  apartments.  Looking  through  the  glass 
windows,  or  doors  rather,  I  saw  several  corpses  in  open 
coffins,  and  neatly  arrayed  in  ordinary  attire.  Wires 
connected  with  bells,  were  attached  to  their  right 
hands,  so  that  in  case  life  were  not  extinct,  and  the 
apparently  dead  should  revive,  the  bells  might  be 
rung,  and  aid  summoned.  A  municipal  regulation 
requires  that  all,  with  few  exceptions,  who  die  in  the 
city,  shall  be  brought  to  this  dead-house,  and  remain 
about  twenty-four  hours. 

Having  been  annoyed  for  some  time  with  twinges 
of  rheumatism,  a  physician  in  Munich  recommended 
the  Russian  bath.  It  needs  a  brave  man  to.  endure  it 
the  second  time.  You  are  ushered  into  a  close  seven- 
by-nine  room,  filled  with  medicated  vapor  as  hot  as  it 
is  possible  to  bear.  You  lie  down  on  a  bench  and  dis- 
solve, panting  for  breath.  Soon  your  attendant  comes 


OLD   AND   NEW   FRIENDS GERMAN    PEOPLE.  85 

in  and  rubs  you  with  a  brush,  pounds  you  with  his 
hand  and  beats  you  with  a  bundle  of  boughs.  After 
fifteen  minutes  you  are  taken  to  another  room,  and  for 
some  time  stand  under  a  cold  and  most  profuse  shower, 
raining  upon  you  like  icicles,  intermingled  with  slaps 
from  your  attendant.  Then  you  are  directed  to  plunge 
head  and  ears  into  the  open  tank  before  you,  and  stay 
under  water  as  long  as  you  can  hold  your  breath,  mak- 
ing two  or  three  such  dives.  Now  you  go  back  to  the 
little  dark  room  of  hot  vapor ;  and  the  whole  triple 
process  is  gone  over  three  times,  taking  an  hour  or 
more.  I  have  a  sort  of  passion  for  bathing,  and  even 
enjoyed  this,  finding  it  so  beneficial  that  I  imprudently 
took  another  too  soon,  and  immediately  started  on  my 
journey.  The  second  bath  was  terribly  severe,  and 
that  little  hot  room  seemed  a  perfect  purgatory. 

In  taking  leave  of  Munich,  I  must  express  my  great 
obligation  to  our  excellent  Consul,  Prof.  A.  Ten  Brook, 
for  his  many,  kind  and  valuable  attentions,  and  my 
thanks  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Petit,  a  young  and  genial  artist 
from  Philadelphia,  who  accompanied  me  through  vari- 
ous galleries  of  art,  and  to  other  objects  of  interest. 
It  is  pleasant  to  meet  former  friends,  and  make  new 
ones  in  a  distant  land. 

From  such  observations  as  I  have  been  able  to  make 
in  city  and  country,  the  Germans  appear  to  be  a  gen- 
erally intelligent  people,  who  take  life  easily  and 
patiently,  and  derive  from  it  not  a  little  enjoyment. 
They  are  industrious,  moderate  in  their  movements, 
and  social  in  a  high  degree.  They  are  devotedly 
attached  to  their  beer  and  pipe.  The  glasses  or  mugs 
of  beer  that  some  of  them  will  drink  in  the  course  of 


86  TYROL SALZBURG — MOZART. 

a  day,  is  perfectly  astonishing.  Stopping  at  a  country 
inn  for  tea,  quite  a  crowd  was  gathered  before  it,  sing- 
ing songs,  and  indulging  in  their  favorite  beverage.  I 
was  ushered  into  a  room  where  there  was  quite  a  party 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  seated  round  a  table  in  social 
conversation,  each  taking  repeated  draughts  of  beer 
from  their  glass  mugs  ;  and  I  was  surprised  to  see  how 
often  they  were  emptied  and  refilled,  the  women  in 
this  respect  fully  equaling  the  men.  They  have  a  cus- 
tom of  touching  glass  to  glass  before  they  drink 
"What  the  Germans  eat,  especially  the  common  people  9 
costs  but  little.  Living  is  cheap  and  so  is  labor.  A 
man  or  woman  who  works  by  the  day  or  month,  does 
not  get  half  the  wages  paid  in  our  country. 

I  did  not  go  to  Vienna,  as  I  purposed,  but  took  a 
shorter  way  to  Italy  through  that  part  of  Austria  cal- 
led the  Tyrol.  I  made  an  excursion,  however,  to  Salz- 
burg, situated  on  a  tributary  of  the  Danube,  and  quite 
distinguished  for  its  surrounding  romantic  scenery.  A 
sort  of  natural,  mountain-like  wall,  partly  environs  it ; 
and  a  fine  old  castle,  standing  on  a  high  eminence  in 
its  midst,  reminds  one  of  Edinburgh.  But  it  has 
other  attractions.  Here  Mozart,  whose  soul  seemed 
the  essence  of  music,  was  born,  and  here  is  his  tomb. 
I  easily  found  the  house  where  he  lived,  and  repeatedly 
looked  in  admiration  upon  the  splendid  bronze  statue 
of  him,  which  adorns  one  of  the  public  squares.  There 
is  a  beauty  in  the  face  and  expression,  and  whole  fig- 
ure, indeed,  which  charms  you.  I  found,  also,  in  St. 
Peter's  church,  a  fine  monument  of  Michael  Haydn,  a 
composer  of  eminence,  and  brother  of  the  author  of 
the  "Creation."  Another  church  has  a  sweet  chime 


KUFSTEIN A    DEEP    WELL A    CRIMINAL.  87 

of  bells,  playing  twelve  tunes,  one  each  month,  and 
some  of  them  are  Mozart's  beautiful  compositions. 
But  I  have  a  sad  recollection  of  Salzburg,  as  the  place 
where  I  passed  the  most  miserably  wretched  night  of 
my  life.  The  journey  thither  had  been  the  loneliest 
of  all,  and  the  second  night  after  my  arrival  I  was 
taken  suddenly  and  severely  ill,  experiencing  also  a 
complete  nervous  prostration,  the  effect  of  the  bath  at 
Munich,  two  days  before.  Besides,  I  was  entirely 
alone,  could  converse  intelligently  with  no  one,  and 
very  likely  there  was  not  another  Protestant  in  the 
place.  How  I  longed  to  see  a  friend  !  I  left  in  the 
morning,  but  it  was  weeks  before  I  fully  recovered. 

From  Salzburg  to  Kufstein  and  Innsbruck,  the 
course,  partly  by  diligence  and  partly  by  railway,  lies 
along  cultivated  fields,  pleasant  lakes,  and  majestic 
mountains,  the  spurs  of  the  Alps.  On  a  high  point 
in  Kufstein  stands  an  old  fortress,  now  used  as  a  prison. 
I  wandered  with  a  guide  through  a  long  subterranean 
passage,  and  came  out  into  a  room  where  there  was  a 
well  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep,  cut  through  a 
solid  rock,  and  supplied  with  wrater  from  the  river 
Inns  flowing  near.  The  well  was  made  by  two  crim- 
inals imprisoned  for  life,  who  undertook  the  task  on 
condition  of  being  liberated  when  it  should  be  finished. 
They  completed  it  in  seventeen  years  of  incessant 
labor.  A  noted  criminal  from  Hungary  is  now  con- 
fined there.  For  twenty  years,  with  the  aid  of  con- 
federates, he  had  carried  on  a  system  of  robbery  and 
plunder.  His  course  was  to  ascertain  who  had  money, 
and  by  some  means  extort  or  secure  it.  He  never  com- 
mitted highway  robbery,  nor  allowed  his  associates  to 


88  INNSBKUCK WOUNDED    SOLDIEES. 

do  it.  Nor  did  lie  murder  his  victims.  He  sliot  two 
of  liis  associates  dead,  however,  when  he  detected 
them  in  the  act  of  highway  robbery.  He  was  accus- 
tomed to  go  from  place  to  place  when  he  pleased,  and 
escaped  detection  till  partially  betrayed  by  some  of  his 
confederates. 

Innsbruck  is  the  capital  of  Tyrol,  and  lies  under  the 
shadow  of  lofty  Alpine  summits,  crowned  with  snow. 
The  palace  of  the  Arch-Duke,  and  the  Cathedral,  are 
imposing  edifices.  In  the  center  of  the  latter,  an 
elaborately  sculptured  marble  monument  of  the  Em- 
peror Maximilian  is  surrounded  by  black  statues  of  old 
kings,  queens,  knights  and  crusaders,  clad  in  their 
quaint  drapery  and  ancient  armor.  It  is  a  singular 
taste  that  places  such  things  in  a  church. 

Beyond  this  chain  of  mountains  lies  Italy,  with  its 
clear  skies  and  sunny  shores,  which  seem  to  beckon 
me  thither.  What  various  associations  of  historical, 
classical,  and  even  sacred  interest  cluster  there! 
"What  vicissitudes  its  people  have  experienced !  What 
struggles  for  liberty,  amid  crushing  despotisms,  they 
have  made !  Soldiers  and  priests — Austria  is  full  of 
them — they  swarm  in  Italy — the  curse  and  blight  of 
the  people.  From  the  recent  battle-fields,  thousands 
of  wounded  soldiers  have  been  brought  over  the  moun- 
tains, and  distributed  among  the  different  towns,  to  be 
taken  care  of  by  them.  It  was  stated  at  Innsbruck, 
that  as  many  as  thirty  thousand  had  been  there,  or 
through  there.  The  people  were  quite  dissatisfied 
with  this  burden,  and  some  were  free  to  condemn 
the  late  war  as  unwise,  and  to  express  the  opinion 
that  the  Emperor  of  Austria  would  be  better  occu- 


BRENNER   PASS IN   ITALY VEKONA — VENICE.          89 

pied  in  endeavoring  to  develop  the  resources  of 
his  country  than  in  trying  to  enforce  his  authority 
upon  a  people  who  hate  it. 

By  a  tedious  diligence  conveyance  of  eighty  miles, 
partly  by  night,  over  the  Tyrolese  Alps,  by  the  Bren- 
ner Pass,  an  old  Roman  road,  and  amid  scenery  often 
wild,  bold  or  picturesque,  Botzen,  a  thriving  town  in 
the  valley  of  the  Adige,  is  reached ;  and  then  a  ride  of 
some  hours  by  railway,  brings  one  to  the  town  of  Ve- 
rona. In  the  meantime  you  go  through  the  village  of 
Trient,  where  the  famous  Council  of  Trent  was  held. 
We  are  now  fairly  in  Italy,  and  ancient  Roman  ruins 
greet  us.  The  great  attraction  of  Verona  is  its  old 
Amphitheater,  a  building  somewhat  like  the  Coliseum, 
at  Rome,  but  in  a  better  state  of  preservation.  It  was 
erected  about  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  and 
the  stone  seats  for  the  many  thousands  of  spectators, 
and  balconies  for  the  nobles,  and  the  opposite  entrances 
for  the  wild  beasts  and  the  gladiators,  remain  as  they 
were  at  first.  In  entering  the  vast  edifice,  and  walk- 
ing up  its  more  than  forty  tiers  of  seats,  rising  and  en- 
larging one  above  another,  and  looking  down  upon  the 
arena,  once  the  scene  of  wild  and  terrible  conflicts,  the 
imagination  could  easily  reproduce  those  exciting  and 
fearful  spectacles,  and  see  among  the  doomed  gladia- 
tors, perchance,  some  of  the  early  martyrs  of  our  holy 
faith,  whose  released  spirits  ascended  to  heaven  amid 
the  wild  shouts  of  the  unpitying  crowd.  The  tomb  of 
Shakspeare's  Juliet  is  said  to  be  at  Verona. 

A  railroad  brings  you  to  Venice,  which  once  could 
only  be  entered  by  boat,  as  is  intimated  in  the  lines  of 
Rogers : 


90  CITY    OF   THE    SEA ITS    ATTRACTIONS. 

There  is  a  glorious  city  in  the  sea. 

The  sea  is  in  the  broad,  the  narrow  streets, 

Ebbing  and  flowing ;  and  the  salt  seaweed 

Clings  to  the  marble  of  her  palaces. 

No  track  of  men,  no  footsteps  to  and  fro, 

Lead  to  her  gates.     The  path  lies  o'er  the  sea. 

Invincible ;  and  from  the  land  we  went, 

As  to  a  floating  city — steering  in, 

And  gliding  up  her  streets  as  in  a  dream. 

A  unique  and  wonderful  city  is  Yenice,  the  Queen 
of  the  Adriatic,  and  having  her  foundations  in  the  sea. 
Her  principal  streets  are  canals  ;  her  omnibusses  and 
carriages  are  gondolas.     You  hear  no  tramp  of  horses' 
feet — no  sound  of  rolling  wheels.     The  only  horses  in 
the  city  are  four  of  bronze,  over  the  porch  of  St.  Mark's 
Cathedral,  and  they  are  about  two  thousand  years  old. 
The   city   is    remarkable   for  its   varied  history,  and 
former  wealth  and  power  ;  for  its  numerous  and  splen- 
did palaces,  now  tinged  with  decay ;  for  the  multitude 
of  its  churches,  adorned  with  rich  statuary  and  paint- 
ings ;  for  its  galleries  of  art,  and  other  and  varied  at- 
tractions.    The  masterpieces  of  Titian  and  Tintoretto 
are  here.     The  tomb  of  the  former,  in   one  of  the 
churches,  and  opposite  to  it  that  of  Canova,  are  admi- 
rable specimens  of  sculpture.     St.  Mark  s  Square  is  the 
great  and  brilliant  center  where  everybody  goes,  for  pro- 
menade and  for  shopping.     In  the  evening  a  thousand 
lights  shine  upon  you  from  jeweled  windows,  and   the 
walls  of  palaces  radiant  with  images  of  art  and  beauty. 
You  pass  crowds  chatting  while  they  sip  their  bever- 
age at  Cafes;  and  you  hear  Italian  songs  sung  and 
violins  played,  as  organ-grinders  discourse  their  music, 
hoping  to  get  a  few  soldies  or  kreutzers  from   the 


GONDOLAS — MUKANO    AND    LIDO.  91 

crowd.  Before  you  is  St.  Mark's  Cathedral,  blossom- 
ing with  domes,  minarets,  and  statues,  and  wonderful 
for  the  various  mosaics  on  its  outer  and  inner  walls. 
There,  too,  is  the  Doge's  Palace,  with  its  different  halls, 
and  beyond  it  the  Bridge  of  Sighs,  leading  to  the  dun- 
geons of  the  prison.  But  Venice  cannot  be  adequately 
described.  The  former  splendor  of  the  city,  and  the 
great  events  that  have  there  transpired,  crowd  upon 
one's  thoughts,  while  all  that  you  now  behold  of  the 
place  seems  like  the  tomb  of  its  ancient  glory.  Ex- 
cursions by  gondola  to  islands  in  the  vicinity  are 
pleasant.  A  gondolier,  standing  at  the  stern  of  his 
curious-looking  boat,  with  a  single  oar,  wafts  you 
gracefully  and  rapidly  along.  At  Murano  you  enter 
the  extensive  glass-works,  where  beads  for  the  world 
are  made.  You  are  greatly  interested  in  the  processes 
of  their  manufacture,  and  bring  away  some  specimens. 
You  take  a  longer  excursion  to  Lido,  and  walk 
across  it,  and  are  now  beyond  the  Lagune  of  Venice, 
and  wandering  on  the  beach  of  the  Adriatic,  picking 
up  shells,  and  listening  to  the  unceasing  music  of  its 
rolling  surfs.  As  you  glide  back  over  the  smooth 
waters,  and  under  a  transparent  sky,  Venice  seems  to 
rise  out  of  the  sea  before  you,  and  the  charming  view 
you  now  obtain  of  it  will  remain  daguerreotyped  on 
your  memory  as  a  perpetual  pleasure. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  Venice  that  makes  one 
leave  it  with  reluctance.  Its  situation  in  the  sea  is 
picturesque  and  unique  ;  its  palaces  seem  like  fading  en- 
chantments ;  its  various  life-phases,  ever  on  exhibition 
in  St.  Mark's  Square,  are  a  magnet  of  attraction ;  the 
dream-like  excursions  by  gondola  along  the  narrow 


92  MEETING   FRIENDS — DEPARTURE — PADUA. 

passages  or  in  the  Grand  Canal  under  the  Rialto,  one 
likes  to  repeat ;  the  glorious  panorama  of  city,  sea  and 
shore,  and  distant  Alps,  from  the  top  of  the  Campanile, 
or  Cathedral  tower,  is  a  vision  of  beauty ;  and  even 
the  flocks  of  tame  pigeons  always  flying  over  your 
head,  or  alighting  at  your  feet,  in  St.  Mark's  Piazza, 
win  your  kindly  regard.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing in  Yenice  Rev.  Mr.  Child  and  party,  including 
Mr.  W  S.  Greene,  whom  I  had  left  on  the  borders  ot 
Switzerland  three  weeks  before. 

At  length  the  slow  railway  toward  Milan  bore  us 
away.  Stopping  over  a  train,  we  spent  a  few  hours 
at  Padua,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Northern  Italy, 
and  founded  as  Yirgil  says,  by  Antenor,  whose  tomb 
we  found  at  a  street  corner,  and  bearing  an  inscription 
in  Greek.  Within  the  walls  of  an  old  arena,  where 
various  exhitions  were  once  witnessed  by  excited 
thousands,  we  found  growing  trees  of  considerable 
size.  We  looked  into  a  gloomy  old  hall  called  the 
Palazzo  della  Eagione.  It  is  of  immense  size  and  its 
roof  is  said  to  be  the  largest  unsupported  by  pillars,  in 
the  world.  Dingy  and  mystical  paintings  hang  all 
around  it  and  at  one  end,  in  front  of  a  bust  of  Livy, 
stands  a  colossal  wooden  horse,  constructed  about 
four  hundred  years  ago.  At  the  other  end  is  a  block 
of  black  granite,  and  a  kind  of  altar,  where  insolvent 
debtors  cleared  themselves  by  their  exposures  to  shame. 
The  interior  of  the  church  of  St.  Antonio  is  gorg- 
eously decorated  with  sculptures  and  paintings.  The 
tomb  of  the  saint  is  in  the  church,  and  a  number  of  per. 
sons  were  clinging  to  it  on  their  knees,  or  pressing  up 
to  touch  it,  as  if  they  expected  saving  virtue  from  the 


MONTEBELLO   AND    SOLFEK1NO.  93 

contact.  Passing  a  confessional  box  in  another  part 
of  the  church,  we  saw  a  young  girl  pouring  her 
confession  into  the  ear  of  a  priest.  Striking  clocks 
were  first  made  in  Padua.  Here  for  a  time,  at  least, 
Petrarch,  Livy  and  Galileo  had  their  homes.  The 
last  was  ten  years  Professor  in  the  University,  and 
from  the  old  Observatory,  still  standing,  he  often  sur- 
veyed the  heavens,  and  doubtless  made  some  of  those 
discoveries  that  thrilled  the  world. 

"Not  long  after  resuming  our  journey,  we  passed 
through  a  part  of  Montebello,  where  a  battle  in  the 
recent  war  was  fought ;  and  further  along  the  road, 
we  got  a  view  of  the  field  of  Solferino,  the  scene  of 
the  terrible  and  decisive  conflict  on  the  24th  of  June, 
1859.  Keturning  by  this  place  on  the  24th  of  Oct., 
just  four  months  after  the  battle,  our  train  received 
quite  a  number  of  wounded  Austrian  officers,  appar- 
ently, brought  into  the  cars  on  couches,  and  having 
only  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  thus  to  proceed 
toward  their  homes. 


VIII. 


IT  was  late  in  the  evening,  and  raining,  when  we 
reached  Milan.  By  the  dim  light  of  the  street  lamps 
we  got  a  glimpse  of  its  magnificent  Cathedral  as  we 
passed  to  our  hotel.  The  next  morning  found  us  early 
at  its  open  square,  surveying  that  marvel  of  architect- 
ural beauty  and  splendor.  It  surpasses  all  other  cath- 
edrals we  have  seen.  It  is  of  white  marble,  grand  in 
design,  and  most  elaborate  in  finish.  Its  niches  are 
filled  with  statues,  and  its  forest  of  minarets  is  covered 
and  crowned  with  them,  to  the  number  of  thousands. 
You  survey  the  imposing  edifice  with  wonder,  and  on 
entering  it,  you  are  astonished  to  find  equal  magnifi- 
cence and  decoration  ;  and  you  conclude  that  in  the 
Milan  Cathedral  the  sacred  architecture  of  ages  cul- 
minates, and  that  here  is  the  exuberant  flowering  of 
all  ecclesiastical  endeavor  to  impress  or  captivate  the 
outward  sense.  Other  objects  of  interest  at  Milan  are 
several  of  its  churches,  that  of  St.  Ambrose  being  very 
old  —  a  row  of  ancient  columns  of  a  Roman  temple, 
standing  in  the  center  of  the  city,  yet  in  isolated  des- 
olation —  the  grand  Arch  of  Peace,  commenced  by 
Napoleon  I.  —  and  the  celebrated  painting,  by  Leon- 
ardo da  Yinci,  of  the  Last  Supper.  It  was  painted  on 
the  wall  of  a  refectory  of  an  old  monastery,  and  is 
much  injured  and  defaced  by  the  plaster  peeling  off, 


AN    INCIDENT BIRTH-PLACE    OF    VIRGIL.  95 

and  the  attempts  of  inferior  artists  to  restore  it.  But 
you  still  see  in  it  the  work  of  a  master.  The  head  of 
the  Saviour,  the  best  preserved,  is  wonderful  in  its 
combination  of  majesty  and  meekness,  and  of  divine 
authority  and  human  sympathy.  The  expression  of 
that  serene,  heavenly  face  is  inimitable.  The  features 
of  the  Apostles  and  of  Judas,  are  in  admirable  harmony 
with  the  scene  represented. 

Returning  to  Yerona  on  the  way  to  Mantua,  as 
the  train  was  leaving  one  of  the  stations  in  the  even- 
ing, there  was  quite  a  smart  jerking  of  the  cars,  and 
an  outcry  toward  the  rear  of  the  train,  as  if  some  acci- 
dent had  occurred,  and  the  engineer  was  -desired  to 
stop.  But  the  train  went  on,  amidst  much  agitation 
of  the  passengers.  In  the  carriage  where  I  sat  all 
were  Italians  but  one,  and  greatly  excited.  I 
remained  calm,  and  a  pleasant  old  lady,  screaming 
"  Salvendo  !  salvendo  !"  came  and  sat  beside  me,  and 
could  hardly  get  quiet  till  she  procured  of  some  one — 
her  son  perhaps — a  little  black  crucifix,  about  six 
inches  long,  which  she  unrolled  from  a  piece  of  paper, 
and  showed  to  me  with  evident  satisfaction,  and  then 
put  it  in  her  bosom.  I  pointed  upward,  as  if  to  say, 
We  should  trust  in  God.  Before  this,  in  endeavoring 
to  converse  with  me,  she  had  learned  that  I  was  an 
American. 

No  one  would  visit  Mantua  for  anything  beautiful 
in  or  around  the  town  itself.  Its  situation  is  low,  and 
amidst  marshes  and  stagnant  pools.  But  when  we 
think  of  it  as  the  birth-place  of  Yirgil,  and  for  a  time, 
at  least,  his  residence,  who  that  has  read  the  JEneid 
would  not  be  interested  in  seeing  Mantua,  and  wan- 


96  BOLOGNA — CROSSING    THE  APENNINES. 

dering  in  its  precincts,  where  the  immortal  bard  had 
his  rural  haunts  and  home  !  A  splendid  marble  shaft 
to  his  memory,  erected  by  order  of  Napoleon  L,  stands 
in  a  green  and  flowery  spot  in  the  town.  "We  were 
greatly  pleased  with  this,  for  we  could  find  nothing 
else,  save  a  street  bearing  the  name  of  the  great  poet, 
to  remind  us  that  we  were  near  the  place  of  his  birth. 

A  day  by  diligence  took  us  on  through  the  heart  of 
the  country  to  Parma,  crossing  on  the  way  the  rivers 
Mincio,  Oglio  and  Po.  The  last,  at  Casal  Maggiore, 
where  we  crossed  it  in  a  ricketty  old  ferry-boat,  man- 
ned by  brigandish-looking  fellows,  is  quite  a  broad 
stream,  with  a  rapid  current.  From  Parma  we  went 
by  railway  to  Bologna,  and  were  reminded,  as  we 
passed  through  Modena,  of  the  story  of  Ginevra.  "We 
were  detained  nearly  two  days  in  Bologna  before  we 
could  secure  seats  in  the  diligence  to  Florence.  We 
visited  several  of  its  churches  and  galleries  of  art. 
The  painting  by  Raphael  of  Cecilia  entranced  by  the 
music  of  angels,  is  very  fine.  The  leaning  towers,  of 
which  we  had  not  heard  before,  are  quite  a  curiosity. 
Much  to  our  regret,  we  just  missed  seeing  the  noble 
patriot,  Garibaldi,  who  had  left  the  place  and  the 
hotel  where  we  stopped  only  a  few  hours  before  our 
arrival. 

It  was  a  long  and  tedious  ride  to  Florence.  We 
left  Bologna  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  soon 
a  rain-storm  commenced,  and  continued  through  the 
day.  Mountain  streams  often  rushed  over  our  path. 
We  crossed  the  Apennines,  but  they  were  mostly  en- 
veloped in  clouds,  and  the  view  on  every  hand  was 
obstructed.  It  was  too  early  for  breakfast  when  we 


BUBAL    ASPECTS THE   PEOPLE   EXCITED.  97 

started,  and  the  drivers,  in  order  to  reach  the  railway 
in  season  for  the  last  train  to  Florence,  could  not  stop 
long  enough  for  a  lunch  to  be  obtained  ;  so  we  took 
our  first  meal  that  day,  after  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, at  the  Hotel  New  York  in  Florence. 

I  was  somewhat  disappointed  in  the  rural  aspects  of 
Italy.  It  is  not  that  beautiful  country  my  imagination 
had  pictured  it.  The  season,  it  is  true,  was  unfavorable 
for  seeing  it  to  the  best  advantage.  We  could  not  ex- 
pect, at  the  last  of  October,  to  observe  the  freshness 
of  spring,  the  bloom  of  summer,  or  the  ripened  har- 
vests of  early  autumn.  Much  of  the  country  had  a 
dingy  and  wretched  appearance,  like  the  poor  peasants 
and  pertinacious  beggars  you  everywhere  meet.  The 
villages  and  larger  towns  scarcely  look  better.  There 
are  some  pretty  cottages  and  fine  villas,  but  most 
of  the  houses  have  a  forbidding  and  untidy  appear- 
ance. The  people,  however,  seem  capable  of  better 
things  than  they  possess.  They  have  been  long  crushed 
with  Romanism  and  oppression.  But  they  are  now 
in  a  state  of  considerable  political  excitement.  In  all 
the  large  towns,  the  streets  were  full  of  people,  who 
seemed  to  be  engaged  in  conversation  about  their 
civil  affairs.  Placards  were  everywhere  posted  up> 
declaring  that  Yictor  Emanuel  is  their  king.  They 
will  not  be  satisfied  with  anything  less  than  the  free- 
dom which  Sardinia  enjoys.  They  are  almost  unani- 
mous against  the  return  of  the  Grand-Dukes  ;  and 
should  Austria  attempt  to  reinstate  them,  there  would 
be  war  at  once.  Yenetia  would  revolt  without 
delay,  if  she  felt  able  to  throw  off  the  Austrian  dom- 
ination. We  heard  the  complaint  at  Venice — Why 
5 


98  PRODUCTIONS — FLORENCE — PITTI   PALACE. 

should  we  have  these  soldiers,  who  cannot  speak  our 
language,  quartered  upon  us  ?  Many  thousands  have 
left  that  Province  for  the  freer  atmosphere  of  adjoin- 
ing States.  The  Pope,  doubtless,  fears  that  his  tem- 
poral power  will  soon  pass  from  him  ;  and  with  the 
loss  of  that,  the  Papal  Church  must  necessarily  be 
weakened.  Italy  at  present  is  a  sort  of  seething  caul- 
dron, and  what  the  issues  will  be,  it  is  difficult  to 
foretell.  May  her  star  ascend  ! 

On  our  first  entrance  into  Italy,  we  saw  fields  of  In- 
dian corn  and  yellow  pumpkins,  reminding  us  of  simi- 
lar sights  in  New-England.  Mulberry,  chestnut,  pear 
and  apple  trees,  are  plenteous;  and  about  Florence 
there  are  olives,  figs  and  pomegranates,  with  their 
pendant  fruits.  The  climate  is  much  milder  than  in 
the  same  latitude  with  us.  Roses  are  now  blooming 
in  open  gardens.  Chestnuts  are  found  everywhere, 
in  the  market  and  on  the  table.  They  are  very  much 
larger  than  ours,  and  are  usually  eaten  roasted.  Yon 
see  women  all  along  the  streets,  with  their  charcoal 
fire  and  pan  of  roasting  chestnuts.  They  are  quite  a 
large  item  in  the  food  of  the  peasants.  The  lower 
classes  throughout  Europe  do  much  of  their  house  or 
shop  work,  their  cooking,  and  eating  and  drinking,  out 
of  doors. 

Florence  has  a  variety  of  attractions.  The  streets, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  are  narrow  and  unpleasant.  Its 
buildings,  generally,  are  not  elegant.  The  muddy 
Arno  divides  the  city.  Its  environs  are  be-eutiful. 
One  may  walk  or  ride  for  hours  in  the  Boboli  Gar- 
dens or  the  Cascine,  with  delight.  Evergreens  and 
statues  adorn  the  paths.  In  the  Pitti  Palace  you  find 


UFFIZI    GALLERY CHURCHES POWERS.  90 

paintings  that  have  a  world-wide  fame.  The  beautiful 
creations  of  Raphael,  especially,  including  his  cele- 
brated Madonna  della  Seggiola,  long  detain  you  in 
rapt  admiration.  The  tables  of  mosaic  are  wonderful 
specimens  of  that  art,  carried  to  such  perfection  here. 
The  Ufnzi  Gallery  is  scarcely  less  attractive.  Many 
of  its  pictures  and  statues  are  known  the  world  over 
Here  is  the  famous  Venus  de  Medici,  so  exquisite  and 
graceful.  It  is  intensely  interesting  to  survey  these 
works  of  the  old  masters  and  of  more  recent  artists.  The 
dome  of  the  Cathedral  is  more  ample  than  that  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome,  and  was  greatly  admired  by  Michael 
Angelo.  Two  of  the  bronze  doors  of  the  Baptister}r, 
covered  with  exquisite  bas-reliefs,  occupied  the  artist 
forty  years.  The  church  of  Santa  Croce,  the  West- 
minster Abbey  of  Florence,  contains  the  remains  of 
Michael  Angelo,  Galileo,  Machiavelli,  and  others,  with 
their  massive  marble  monuments,  adorned  with  rich 
and  emblematic  sculptures.  A  fine  cenotaph  of  Dante, 
who  lived  in  Florence,  but  died  in  Ravenna,  stands 
with  them.  The  church  of  San  Lorenzo,  and  the 
Medicean  Chapel  connected  with  it,  contain  the  re- 
mains, tombs  and  cenotaphs  of  the  celebrated  Medici 
family.  The  chapel  alone  cost  $17,000,000  and  is  yet 
unfinished.  Its  interior  walls  are  of  variegated  marbles 
and  precious  stones,  and  its  dome  is  covered  with 
splendid  frescoes.  It4is  a  monument  of  folly. 

We  passed  an  hour  very  pleasantly  in  the  studio  of 
our  countryman,  Hiram  Powers.  We  found  him 
exceedingly  agreeable  and  entertaining ;  and  the 
.specimens  from  his  chisel,  including  a  bust  of  Franklin 
and  Proserpine,  and  a  full  length  figure,  California, 


100  FLORENCE PKOTESTANT   SERVICES. 

which  he  kindly  showed  us,  are  certainly  among  the 
finest  sculptures  we  have  ever  seen. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  away  from  decorated  churches, 
where  unintelligible  mummeries  are  being  constantly 
repeated,  and  enter  a  humbler  place  of  Protestant 
worship,  and  listen  to  the  simple  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  There  are  two  such  places  of  wor- 
ship in  this  city,  at  both  of  which  we  attended  on 
the  Sabbath.  One  is  an  English  Episcopal  church, 
and  the  other  a  Scotch  Presbyterian.  They  both  have 
excellent  evangelical  chaplains.  Happy  will  it  be  for 
Italy  when  the  day  shall  come  that  the  Gospel,  in  its 
purity  and  power,  is  preached  to  her  people,  and  prac- 
ticed in  their  lives.  Heaven  speed  that  day,  and  io 
seems  to  be  at  hand. 

While  taking  tea  with  the  Scotch  Presbyterian 
minister,  the  Rev.  J.  It.  McDougal,  at  his  invitation 
and  residence,  he  gave  an  interesting  account  of  an 
evangelical  religious  movement  now  in  progress  in 
Florence,  and  extending  to  adjacent  localities.  In  the 
Revolution  in  1848,  some  copies  of  the  Bible  came 
into  circulation,  and  were  eagerly  read  by  persons  who 
had  obtained  the  idea  that  the  progress  of  liberty  was 
identified  with  that  book.  A  number  were  thus  made 
wise  unto  salvation,  and  they  took  measures  to  diffuse 
the  truth  more  widely.  Among  these  was  the  Madai 
family,  whose  imprisonment  excited  so  much  interest 
in  our  country.  That  family  lived  in  apartments 
adjoining  the  one  in  which  I  obtained  these  facts. 
Converts  increased,  and  Bibles  were  multiplied. 
The  priests  were  alarmed,  and  the  civil  authority  was 
invoked  to  stop  the  movement.  Numbers  were  arrest- 


A    SINGULAR    PRISONER FIESOLE.  101 

ed  and  imprisoned  for  propagating  tlie  evangelical 
faith.  On  one  occasion,  the  authorities  found  a  large 
number  of  Bibles,  and  apprehended  them  and  put  them 
in  prison.  The  people,  hearing  of  this,  were  curious 
to  know  what  sort  of  a  book  it  was  that  was  thus 
treated.  They  flocked  to  the  prison  to  see  copies  of 
it ;  and  the  keeper,  perceiving  an  opportunity  to  turn 
the  matter  to  his  own  account,  sold  a  good  many 
copies  to  those  who  were  anxious  to  buy  the  singular 
prisoner.  So  the  Word  of  God  was  not  bound,  but 
had  free  course,  and  was  glorified  in  securing  further 
triumphs.  From  that  day  to  this,  the  good  work  has 
been  extending.  Regular  religious  meetings  are  held, 
in  a  quiet  way,  in  various  places,  conducted  by  con- 
verted Italians,  much  in  the  manner  of  our  conference 
meetings,  with  reading  of  the  "Word  of  God,  prayer 
and  singing.  Bibles,  tracts,  and  religious  books,  are 
circulated.  I  have  seen  several  of  these  publications 
and  among  them  a  translation  of  the  "Philosophy  of 
the  Plan  of  Salvation,"  a  work  which  thoughtful 
Italians  read  with  much  interest.  Every  year  some 
are  arrested  and  imprisoned,  but  the  number  of  such 
cases  is  diminishing,  and  true  converts  are  increasing. 
This  is  certainly  an  interesting  and  hopeful  move- 
ment. 

I  made  several  delightful  excursions  among  the  en- 
virons of  Florencey  and  to  the  summits  of  the  hills 
that  look  down  upon  the  beautiful  vale  of  the  Arno,  in 
which  it  is  situated.  Fiesole  is  about  five  miles  to  the 
north,  a  city  older  than  the  Tuscan  capital,  and  a 
thousand  feet  above  it.  Portions  of  old  Roman  ruins 
are  still  visible.  But  I  was  vastly  more  pleased  with 


an  excursion  in  the  opposite  direction,  to  a  liigli  emin- 
ence, surmounted  with  a  tower,  called  Galileo's  Obser- 
vatory. Part  of  the  building  was  over  a  broad,  fine 
road,  between  lofty  cypresses,  interspersed  with  oak 
and  larch,  and  which  leads  to  an  imperial  palace, 
where,  a  few  nights  before,  a  grand  ball  had  been 
given  by  the  city  authorities  and  attended  by  about 
three  thousand  guests.  Strangers  were  not  numerous, 
and  the  times  rather  dull  in  Florence ;  and  this  ball 
was,  no  doubt,  mainly  designed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
shopkeepers,  who  furnished  the  materials  of  dress  and 
display.  Even  kings  and  emperors  are  often  obliged  to 
resort  to  similar  expedients,  to  allay  the  complaints  and 
retain  the  favor  of  their  subjects. 

From  the  top  of  Galileo's  Tower  one  gets  an  entranc- 
ing view  of  the  city  and  adjacent  country.  The  val- 
ley for  many  miles,  with  the  winding  course  of  the 
Arno,  is  spread  out  like  a  map.  Ranges  of  Apennine 
hills  on  the  east  hide  Yallambrosa  from  view.  WQ 
went  to  the  villa  of  Galileo,  near  by,  where  that  phil- 
osopher lived  and  died,  and  where  Milton,  during  his 
visit  to  Italy,  held  interviews  with  him.  From  tins 
Observatory,  it  is  said,  Galileo  made  those  discoveries,  in 
regard  to  the  moon,  to  which  Milton,  in  the  Paradise 
Lost,  alludes,  when  saying  that  the  shield  of  Satan 

"  Hung  o'er  his  shoulders  like  the  moon,  whose  orb 
Through  optic  glass  the  Tuscan  artist  views 
At  evening  from  the  top  of  Fiesole, 
Or  in  Valdarno,  to  descry  new  lands, 
Rivers  or  mountains,  in  her  spotty  globe.5> 

Entering  the  Baptistery  one  day,  which  is  a  large 
octagon  or  circular  edifice,  near  the  Cathedral,  I  wit- 


A   BAPTISM    AND    FUNERAL.  103 

nessed  the  ceremony  of  baptizing  an  infant.  The  little, 
well  attired  subject,  who  had  evidently  not  yet  seen 
two  Sabbaths,  was  brought  into  the  building  by  a 
woman,  accompanied  by  a  young  man,  when  two 
priests  made  their  appearance,  and  these  seemed  to 
be  all  the  persons  any  way  concerned  in  the  matter. 
One  of  the  priests  took  the  child,  while  the  other  stood 
by,  holding  a  huge  lighted  wax  candle,  three  or  four 
feet  long.  The  officiating  priest  breathed  in  the  baby's 
face,  and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  its  forehead 
and  breast,  and  gave  it  to  the  arms  of  the  young  man, 
and  proceeded  to  read  something  from  a  book,  while 
the  other  priest  frequently  responded,  Amen.  This 
over,  the  first  priest  took  from  a  little  box  a  pinch  of 
salt,  and  put  it  into  the  mouth  of  the  child.  Then 
they  all  went  to  the  font,  the  young  man  repeating 
something  as  lie  carried  the  infant.  The  officiating 
priest  now  touched  his  own  tongue,  and  then  the 
baby's  face,  with  his  finger.  Then  pulling  back  the 
child's  cap,  he  held  the  little  creature  upright  over  the 
font,  crossed  it,  rubbed  some  oil  on  its  neck  and  fore- 
head, and  bending  its  head  downward,  he  dipped  up  a 
dish  of  water,  and  poured  it  liberally  on  its  head.  This 
caused  the  child  to  cry,  and  that  was  the  end  of  the 
ceremony. 

Returning  one  evening  from  a  pleasant  social  circle 
of  Americans,  for  the  most  part,  I  encountered  on  one  of 
the  the  numerous  bridges  of  the  Arno,a  singular  funeral 
procession.  The  coffin,  on  a  bier,  and  draped  in  black, 
was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  several  men,  strangely 
appareled  in  long  dark  robes  and  ghastly-looking 
masks.  They  were  preceded  and  followed  by  a  mini- 


104:        FLOEENCE BENEFITS  OF  TKAVEL. 

ber  of  others  in  similar  costume,  and  carrying  elevated 
torches. 

Florence  improves  upon  acquaintance.  I  first 
entered  it  at  evening,  in  a  violent  rain,  and  fora  week 
or  two  the  weather  was  anything  but  pleasant  or  mild, 
making  everything  seem  cheerless,  and  my  first  im- 
pressions not  very  agreeable.  But  when  the  weather 
became  settled,  the  skies  delightfully  clear,  and  the 
air  pure  and  invigorating,  things  wore  a  new  and  more 
pleasing  face.  New  and  congenial  acquaintances  were 
formed,  and  repeated  visits  to  the  wonderful  creations 
of  art  and  genius  rendered  my  stay  in  the  city  increas- 
ingly attractive  ;  while  the  streets  and  buildings 
assumed  an  improved  appearance,  and  the  muddy 
Arno  sometimes  really  had  a  transparent  aspect,  espe- 
cially under  a  glorious  Italian  sunset,  or  the  glitter  of 
a  thousand  lamps  that  line  its  borders  at  night. 

Travel  brings  pleasures  and  benefits,  and  a  kind  of 
education,  that  can  be  acquired  in  no  other  way 
Opportunities  are  constantly  afforded  for  observing 
the  grand  and  beautiful  works,  both  of  nature  and  art, 
as  well  as  for  studying  the  character  and  habits  of  dif- 
ferent peoples.  No  day  need  pass  without  something 
of  good  or  profit  seen,  learned,  or  experienced.  Even 
the  annoyances  that  one  meets  constantly — the  discom- 
forts and  perplexities  of  journeying  where  passports, 
custom-houses,  and  various  hungry  officials  detain  and 
tax  you ;  the  swarm  of  beggars,  including  the  lame, 
the  blind,  and  the  diseased,  as  well  as  the  destitute 
and  the  lazy,  who  beset  you  like  a  pack  of  ravenous 
wolves ;  the  ignorance  and  degradation  that  surround 
you ;  the  blind  and  puerile  superstitions  of  the  people, 


CONTRASTS   IN   ITALY.  105 

amid  magnificent  temples  apparently  devoted  to  God's 
service  ;  the  great  poverty  of  lands  rich  in  natural 
capabilities  and  varied  beauties — all  these  things  make 
you  grateful  for  the  land  of  your  birth,  and  lead  you 
to  prize  more  highly  its  people,  its  government,  its 
religion,  and  all  its  good  institutions. 

Here,  and  in  fact  throughout  Italy,  great  contrasts 
nre  continually  meeting  the  eye.  Go  into  the  galleries 
of  painting  and  sculpture,  enter  many  of  the  cathe- 
drals, churches,  palaces,  and  other  public  or  private 
buildings,  and  often  as  you  walk  along  some  street  or 
open  piazza,  you  behold  beautiful  and  astonishing 
creations  of  art  and  skill — pictures  and  statues  that 
have  a  world-wide  fame,  and  in  the  contemplation  of 
which  you  are  lost  in  admiration  and  delight ;  and 
then  as  you  turn  away  from  these,  and  look  upon  the 
realities  of  life  around  you,  you  see  sad  and  disgusting 
evidences  of  mental  darkness,  wretchedness,  and  low, 
groveling  tastes  and  habits.  Go  out  into  the  country  ? 
and  you  are  struck  often  with  the  beauty  and  richness 
of  valleys,  hill-sides,  and  table-lands  ;  you  see  numer- 
ous evergreen  trees,  cultivated  and  trained  in  gardens? 
whose  walks,  arches,  bowers,  and  fountains  are  like 
the  enchantments  of  Aladdin's  Lamp  ;  you  see  a  flour- 
ishing growth  of  olives-,  oranges,  figs  and  pomegran- 
ates ;  and  though  on  the  verge  of  winter,  and  in  sight 
of  snow  on  mountain  peaks  in  the  horizon,  whose  cool 
breath  you  feel,  you  are  greeted  by  the  way  with 
beautiful  hedges  of  roses,  in  bud  and  bloom,  as  they 
adorn  the  grounds  of  some  villa,  or  hang  over  the  high 
walls  by  the  road-side.  And  while  some  of  the  more 
pretending  villas,  or  humbler  cottages,  please  you  with 

5* 


106  FLORENCE   TO    PISA THE    BAPTISTERY. 

their  beauty  and  neatness,  you  will  not  fail  to  observe 
many  a  filthy  and  miserable  habitation,  with  inmates 
to  correspond ;  ragged  women  at  work  in  the  fields  ; 
donkeys  and  cows  yoked  together,  with  plows,  carts 
and  other  agricultural  implements  of  rude  and  awk- 
ward construction.  Hands  in  the  city  are  making 
tables  and  jewelry  of  exquisite  mosaics  that  cause  you 
to  wronder  at  the  perfection  of  human  ingenuity ; 
and  hands  in  the  country  are  using  various  uten- 
sils of  tillage  so  clumsy  and  ungainly  that  a  Yan- 
kee would  hardly  deem  them  fit  for  fire-wood  or 
old  iron. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  25th  of  November,  we  left 
Florence  for  Pisa,  where  we  arrived  by  railway,  just 
at  evening,  and  from  an  elevated  window  of  our  hotel, 
first  got  a  glimpse  of  the  Leaning  Tower.  Familiar 
from  childhood  with  the  pictures  and  accounts  of  that 
remarkable  structure,  could  it  be  that  my  eyes  were 
now  really  beholding  it  ?  In  the  morning  we  hastened 
to  the  spot  where  it  stands  in  connection  with  three 
other  objects  of  unusual  interest — the  Baptistery,  the 
Campo  Santa,  and  the  Cathedral.  The  Baptistery, 
erected  in  the  twelfth  century  is  a  beautiful  building 
of  white  marble,  circular  and  dome-like,  relieved  in 
the  exterior  by  fine  Corinthian  columns.  The  interior 
is  mostly  marble  also,  and  exquisitely  finished.  In  the 
center  is  a  large  font,  fourteen  feet  in  its  longest  diam- 
eter, adapted  and  probably  used  for  the  immersion  of 
candidates  for  baptism.  The  large  room  rising  into 
the  high  dome,  afforded  delightful  echoes ;  and  when 
a  few  of  us  sang  a  part  of  the  hymn, — 


CAMPO  SANTA CATHEDRAL — LEANING  TOWER.   107 

"  My  heavenly  home  is  bright  and  fair, 
Nor  pain  nor  death  shall  enter  there" — 

the  fullness  and  prolongation  of  the  sounds  were  organ- 
like  and  charming.  The  Campo  Santa  is  a  cemetery 
an  immense  oblong  structure,  with  cloisters  extending 
around  it,  and  the  open  space  within  filled  with  earth, 
to  the  amount  of  fifty-three  ship  loads,  brought  from 
Calvary.  There  are  numerous  monuments  in  the  clois- 
ters, and  some  striking  frescoes.  One  of  the  latter, 
representing  the  Last  Judgment,  has  a  touch  of  satire, 
as  well  as  truth,  no  doubt ;  for  the  artist  has  mixed 
kings  and  queens  and  monks  with  the  wicked.  The 
Cathedral  is  spacious  and  splendid.  "The  doors  are  of 
bronze,  the  roof  is  of  carved  and  gilded  wood,  the 
floor  of  marble  white  and  yellow  ;  statues  of  exquisite 
workmanship  adorn  the  walls,  while  a  dim  light  spreads 
through  the  painted  windows,  and  clothes  with  a  mel- 
lowing softness,  the  stupendous  columns."  But  I  was  in- 
terested most  of  all  in  the  Campanile  or  Leaning  Tower. 
It  is  a  beautiful  marble  structure,  fifty-three  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  and  about  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  high,  inclining  toward  the  south  more  than 
thirteen  feet  from  the  perpendicular.  My  first  view 
of  the  Mediterranean  was  from  its  top ;  and  what 
thoughts  such  a  sight  awakens?  The  waters  of  that 
sea  lave  the  shores  of  Palestine,  and  are  linked  with 
the  stirring  events  of  ancient  and  modern  history.  A 
prophet  was  once  cast  into  it,  and  an  apostle  wrecked 
upon  it. 

At  Leghorn,  a  considerable  commercial  town,  we 
took  steamer  for  Civita  Yecchia,  the  port  of  the  Papal 


108  LEGHORN    TO    EOME. 

States,  where  we  arrived  in  about  twelve  hours  ;  and 
after  many  annoyances  and  taxes  of  patience  and  purse, 
we  were  on  the  railway  for  Home.  A  ride  of  three 
hours  through  an  uninteresting  country,  brought  us  in 
sight  of  the  domes  and  towers  of  the  eternal  city ! 


IX. 

Its  Cfjttttjps— %  Mrau— IM. 

ROME  !  How  interesting  tlie  place !  How  suggest- 
ive the  word!  What  a  train  of  associations  it 
awakens !  The  records  of  the  past  are  unrolled;  great 
characters  in  history  stand  before  us ;  and  events  that 
filled  the  world  with  their  grandeur  and  significance 
seem  to  be  transpiring  again.  Who  has  not  desired 
to  see  Rome !  What  student  of  classical  literature, 
what  lover  of  eloquence  and  poetry,  what  admirer  of 
art,  and  mental  power  in  its  various  exhibitions,  has 
not  longed  to  visit  Rome,  and  wander  amid  the  ruins 
of  its  former  greatness  and  glory  ? — to  look  upon  the 
Seven  Hills  where  the  city  of  the  Caesars  was  en- 
throned— to  walk  beneath  the  massive  arches  where 
they  led  their  triumphant  processions — to  muse  amid 
the  broken  columns  of  the  Forum,  where  Cicero  and 
other  orators  swayed  assembled  throngs — to  linger 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Coliseum,  and  think  of  the 
exciting  scenes  it  once  witnessed — and  to  trace  the 
footsteps  of  the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  who, 
prisoner  though  he  was,  wielded  an  influence  under 
God  that  was  felt  through  the  city,  and  pervaded  even 
the  Imperial  Palace  !  Who  has  not  had  a  curiosity  at 
least  to  look  upon  the  sources  of  that  mighty  religious 
organism  and  power,  that  have  so  long  exercised  a  tre- 


110  EOME ITS    CIIUfiCHES. 

mendous  influence  on  human  destiny,  and  still  retain  so 
much  of  their  old  energy,  superstition  and  sway  ?  The 
dream  of  years  has  at  length  been  realized,  and  what 
only  was  known  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  is  now 
familiarized  by  the  seeing  of  the  eye.  On  the  28th  of 
November,  I  entered  the  gate  of  the  so-called  Eternal 
City.  But  how,  in  these  brief  and  hasty  way-notes, 
can  I  adequately  describe  what  I  have  observed  of 
ancient  and  modern  Rome  ? 

There  are  about  as  many  churches  in  Rome  as  there 
are  days  in  a  year.  The  majority  of  them  are  very 
ordinary  structures ;  and  sometimes,  when  the  exterior 
is  quite  plain  and  even  forbidding,  you  will  find  the 
interior  elaborately  ornate  and  gorgeous.  There  is  but 
one  Gothic  church  in  Rome,  and  very  few  of  these 
edifices  have  painted  windows.  The  principal  materi- 
als of  ornamentation  are  marbles  of  various  colors,  and 
other  rare  stones,  statuary,  paintings,  silver  and  gild- 
ing. You  will  sometimes  find  nearly  the  whole  interior 
of  a  church,  its  floor,  its  columns,  its  walls,  its  altars 
and  chapels,  gleaming  with  polished  and  exquisitely 
carved  and  finished  marbles  of  almost  every  hue.  The 
niches  are  filled  with  statues  and  pictures — monuments 
of  Popes,  Cardinals,  Bishops  and  Saints,  and  paintings 
of  Scripture  scenes,  in  which  dignitaries  of  the  Church 
are  often  strangely  blended ;  while  crucifixes  and  Ma- 
donnas everywhere  abound.  Frequently  most  horrid 
scenes  of  martyrdom,  agony  and  blood  are  represented. 
Everything  that  can  affect  the  senses,  and  through 
them  move  the  passions,  finds  a  place  in  these  ecclesi- 
astical decorations  and  emblems. 

One  of  the  first  churches  the  stranger  visits,  is  that 


Ill 

great  and  wonderful  edifice,  St.  Peter's,  whose  magni- 
ficent dome  reflects  the  unrivaled  genius  of  Michael 
Angelo.  Its  construction  occupied  centuries,  and  the 
most  renowned  architects  lavished  their  skill  upon  it. 
A  great  part  of  the  incredible  amount  of  money  ex- 
pended upon  it,  was  realized  from  the  sale  of  indul- 
gences. In  going  to  St.  Peter's,  a  friend  pointed  out 
the  house  where  Raphael,  the  prince  of  painters,  lived. 
It  is  in  a  narrow,  mean  and  dirty  street,  and  the  house 
itself  is  only  worthy  of  its  location.  Looking  up  its 
dingy  front,  I  saw  a  clothes-line,  well  laden  with  nether 
and  other  garments,  hanging  along  its  windows,  and 
partially  intercepting  the  view.  After  crossing  the 
muddy  Tiber  by  the  Bridge  of  St.  Angelo,  amid  colos- 
sal marble  statues,  with  the  immense  circular  Tomb  of 
Hadrian,  now  a  fortress  and  prison,  rising  before  you, 
and  passing  some  distance  along  a  narrow,  filthy 
street,  lined  with  huckster-shops,  you  come  to  the 
large,  open,  oval  Piazza  of  St.  Peter's.  On  either 
hand  is  a  magnificent  range  of  colonnades  or  porticoes, 
with  four  rows  of  massive  round  pillars,  over  sixty 
feet  high,  while  along  the  top  are  standing  some  two 
hundred  statues,  which  the  imagination  might  easily 
transform  into  celestial  visitants  come  to  watch  the 
trains  of  earthly  worshipers.  Before  you  is  a  large 
Egyptian  obelisk,  and  on  each  side,  beautiful  fountains 
throwing  their  crystal  jets  and  spray  into  the  air,  and 
which  often  have  a  halo  of  rainbows  about  them.  Be- 
yond these,  rises  the  imposing  facade  of  the  great  edi- 
fice, and  crowned  with  gigantic  statues  of  the  twelve 
Apostles.  This  view  excites  your  profound  admira- 
tion, and  though  the  enclosure  embraces  about  ten 


112  ROME — ST.  PETER'S — INTERIOR — ROOF  AND  BALL. 

acres,  there  is  such  harmony  of  outline  and  propor- 
tion, that  it  does  not  seem  half  so  large. 

You  enter  this  church,  as  you  do  others  at  Rome, 
by  lifting  a  heavy  leather  curtain,  and  then  your  eyes 
mqet  a  sight,  for  vastness  and  majesty,  richness  and 
grandeur,  afforded  by  no  other  religious  temple  in  the 
world.  Amplitude  and  height,  massiveness  and  splen- 
dor, characterize  the  interior.  Look  up  into  the  sub- 
lime dome,  and  you  do  not  wonder  that  Michael 
Angelo  called  it  "a  firmament  of  marble."  The 
pictures  are  all  in  mosaic,  and  are  finely  wrought. 
Amidst  all  this  display  of  rich  ornamentation,  you  see 
much  that  you  deem  neither  agreeable  nor  in  good 
taste.  A  double  flight  of  stairs  leads  down  to  the 
reputed  tomb  of  Peter,  above  and  around  which  over 
a  hundred  lights  are  constantly  burning.  Near  by, 
elevated  a  few  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  church,  is  a 
black  statue  of  the  Apostle,  before  which  you  see 
persons  come  and  kneel,  and  rise  and  kiss  the  great 
toe  of  the  projecting  foot,  which  is  considerably  short- 
ened by  this  unceasing  labial  attrition. 

On  my  next  visit  to  St.  Peter's,  I  ascended  to  the 
roof,  which  is  quite  a  plateau,  or  place  containing 
dwellings  and  families  living  there ;  and  then  to  the 
base  of  the  dome,  and  then  to  near  its  crown,  from 
whence  you  look  down  the  frightful  distance  to  the 
floor  of  the  church,  where  men  and  women,  and  pro- 
cessions of  priests  seem  but  creeping  pigmies.  Finally 
I  went  to  the  very  top,  and  squeezed  through  the 
narrow  entrance  into  the  ball !  Fine  views  of  the 
city  and  the  Campagna  might  have  been  had,  but  for 


-HOLY  STAIRCASE.     113 

the  smallness  of  the  apertures  opening  to  the  world 
without. 

The  interior  of  the  church  of  St.  Paul,  outside  the 
walls  of  the  city,  is  in  some  respects  quite  equal,  if 
not  superior,  to  that  of  St.  Peter's.  The  splendid  mon- 
olithic columns,  the  rich  altars  of  malachite,  the  costly 
portraits  in  mosaic  of  the  successive  Popes,  and  other 
exquisite  pictures,  excite  your  wondering  gaze.  The 
St.  John  Lateran,  is  scarcely  inferior  in  the  rich  and 
costly  finish  of  its  architecture  and  embellishment. 
Its  cloisters  contain  relics  which  an  attending  priest 
is  ready  to  exhibit.  He  shows  the  stone  well-curb,  by 
which  Jesus  conversed  with  the  Samaritan  woman  ; 
the  two  halves  of  a  column  rent  at  our  Lord's  crucifix- 
ion ;  the  porphyry  table  on  which  His  raiment  was 
divided ;  and  that  also  on  which  He  and  His  disciples 
partook  of  the  Last  Supper.  He  shows  a  stone  slab, 
too,  with  a  hole  in  it,  and  says  that  a  priest  once, 
doubting  the  Eeal  Presence,  dropped  the  wafer,  and  it 
went  miraculously  through  the  table  !  So,  I  suppose, 
lie  was  cured  of  his  unbelief.  Near  this  church  is  a 
building,  called  the  Baptistery,  in  the  center  of  which 
is  a  porphyry  font,  sufficiently  large  for  immersion,  in 
which  Constantine  was  baptized,  as  it  is  said. 

In  this  vicinity  is  the  church  of  the  Holy  Staircase. 
The  Santa  Scala,  or  Staircase,  consists  of  twenty-eight 
marble  steps,  covered  with  boards,  and  said  to  belong 
to  the  house  of  Pilate ;  and  not  only  that,  but  they 
are  affirmed  to  be  the  very  stairs  on  wThich  our  Lord 
descended  from  the  Judgment  Hall.  Hence  great 
virtue  is  attached  to  them,  and  to  go  up  them  on  one's 
knees,  and  pay  a  fee  for  it,  produces  great  blessings  to 


f  OF 

f  UNIVERSITY  ) 

\  OF  / 


114:    KOME — PAUL'S  HIKED  HOUSE MAMERTTNE  PRISON. 

the  devotee  here  and  hereafter.  So  an  attending  priest 
assured  us,  though  we  did  not  make  the  trial.  Others, 
however,  were  continually  plodding  up,  and  kissing 
the  stairs  as  they  proceeded.  It  was  on  these  stairs,  I 
think,  that  Luther's  eyes  were  measurably  opened  to 
see  the  absurdities  of  Romanism. 

It  is  quite  common  in  Catholic  countries  to  erect  a 
church  over  some  spot  that,  by  tradition  or  otherwise, 
is  regarded  as  sacred.  St.  Peter's  occupies  the  site 
where  the  Apostle,  whose  name  it  bears,  is  said  to 
have  been  buried,  though  there  is  no  reliable  evidence 
that  he  was  ever  in  Rome  at  all.  The  splendid 
Basilica  of  St.  Paul  stands  without  the  walls  in  a  low 
and  unhealthy  location,  that  it  may  cover  the  place 
where  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  is  supposed  to  have 
had  his  sepulchre.  A  church  on  the  Corso — St.  Maria 
in  Yia  Latta — is  regarded  as  occupying  the  site  of 
Paul's  hired  house,  where  he  lived  two  years  in  the 
charge  of  a  soldier.  You  are  guided  to  dark  rooms 
under  the  church,  and  are  shown  portions  of  the  old 
house  where  the  Apostle  lived  ;  and  the  priest  points 
to  a  spring  or  well  which  he  says  was  miraculously 
provided,  curb  and  all,  so  that  Paul  could  there  bap- 
tize his  converts.  A  church  has  been  built  over  the 
old  Mamertine  Prison,  in  whose  dark  dungeons  tradi: 
tion  says  Peter  and  Paul  were  confined.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  the  latter  was  taken  from  this  place  to 
his  martyrdom,  having  first  written  here  the  glorious 
words  to  Timothy:  "Iain  now  ready  to  be  offered, 
and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith ;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 


115 

of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge, 
shall  give  me  at  that  day,  and  not  to  me  only,  but 
unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing."  We  may 
readily  believe  that  here  Jugurtha  was  starved  to 
death,  and  the  companions  of  Catiline  strangled.  Here, 
also,  in  the  floor  of  the  prison,  we  were  shown  a  mira- 
culous fountain,  and  on  the  wall  a  rough  bas-relief  of 
Peter  baptizing  the  jailer.  I  suppose  it  would  not  be 
difficult  to  find  other  springs,  by  making  similar  exca- 
vations at  the  foot  of  the  same  Capitoline  Hill.  The 
church  of  St.  Pietro  in  Yincoli  was  built  to  preserve 
the  chain  with  which  Peter  was  bound  at  Jerusalem. 
I  was  interested  in  this  church,  not  on  account  of  this 
relic,  but  from  the  fact  that  here  Hildebrand  was 
crowned  Pope,  with  the  title  of  Gregory  VII.  in  1073. 
Here,  also,  is  a  magnificent  statue  of  Moses,  by  Michael 
Angelo,  in  which  the  majesty  and  meekness  of  Israel's 
lawgiver  are  wonderfully  blended.  I  went  to  the 
church  of  St.  Onofrio,  on  the  Janiculum,  to  see  the 
last  resting-place  of  Tasso,  the  immortal  author  of 
Jerusalem  Delivered.  The  poet  died  in  Rome  in  1595, 
at  the  age  of  51.  Recently  a  very  richly-carved  mon- 
ument in  marble  has  been  erected  to  his  memory.  In 
the  church  of  the  Capuchins  is  Guido's  Archangel 
standing  on  the  neck  of  Lucifer,  a  remarkable  painting. 
The  Lucifer  is  said  to  be  a  likeness  of  a  Cardinal,  after- 
wards Pope  Innocent  X.,  whose  criticisms  had  dis- 
pleased the  artist.  The  grave  of  Cardinal  Barberini, 
by  whom  this  church  was  built,,  is  marked  by  this  sim- 
ple and  singular  inscription  :  Hicjacet  pulms,  cinis  et 
nihil.  Under  the  church  are  four  rooms,  used  as  a 
cemetery,  the  earth  in  them  having  been  brought  from 


116  ROME THE   VATICAN — ITS    GALLERIES. 

Jerusalem.  They  present  the  most  singular  and 
unique  appearance  imaginable.  They  are  all  filled 
with  human  skeletons  and  bones,  arranged  with  a  taste 
and  skill,  for  beautiful  forms  and  figures,  that  would 
do  honor  to  an  artist.  The  ceilings  and  walls  are  cov- 
ered with  bones,  so  placed  as  to  resemble  the  most 
beautiful  ornaments  in  plaster.  There  are  festoons  of 
these  bones,  and  the  chandeliers  hanging  from  the 
ceilings  are  made  of  them.  Some  entire  skeletons 
have  drapery  on  them,  and  on  some  of  the  skulls  I 
noticed  the  names  of  the  persons  to  whom  they 
belonged,  and  the  dates  of  their  birth  and  death. 
When  a  monk  dies,  he  is  buried  in  the  oldest  grave, 
from  which  the  skeleton  is  exhumed,  clothed,  and 
placed  in  one  of  the  rooms,  where  a  previous  skeleton 
stood  or  lay,  but  is  now  removed,  and  its  bones  piled 
up  or  distributed  in  the  curious  manner  described. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Vatican,  if  he  has  not 
heard  its  thunders  ?  It  is  an  irregular  pile  or  collec- 
tion of  buildings,  adjoining  St.  Peter's  on  the  right,  and 
embracing  some  thousands  of  rooms  and  halls.  Squads 
of  French  soldiers  are  continually  standing  around  the 
entrance,  and  one  generally  finds  a  large  number  of 
them  paraded  or  being  drilled  in  the  square  of  St. 
Peter's.  Several  long  and  broad  staircases  lead  to  the 
halls  and  museums  of  the  Vatican,  where  are  gathered 
raid  preserved  an  immense  number  of  works  of  art. 
The  sculpture  galleries  are  very  extensive,  and  you 
range  through  them  in  delighted  admiration  of  the 
ancient,  interesting,  and  beautiful  or  grand  productions 
of  the  chisel.  You  linger  long  before  such  statues  as 
the  Laocoon  and  Apollo  Belvedere,  and  wonder  at 


CELEBRATED    PAINTINGS QUIEINAL    PALACE.        117 

the  genius  that  could  invest  marble  with  such  elements 
of  life,  passion  and  power.  You  see  many  busts  of  per- 
sons distinguished  in  historical  and  classical  literature, 
and  are  gratified  with  a  truthful  representation  of  their 
faces  and  features.  Two  of  the  most  celebrated  pic- 
tures in  the  world  are  in  the  Yatican.  The  Last  Judg- 
ment by  Michael  Angelo,  covers  entirely  the  farther 
wall  of  the  Sistine  Chapel.  The  light  is  not  good,  and 
one  fails  of  the  profoundest  impression  this  great  paint- 
ing is  adapted  to  produce.  I  was  better  pleased  with 
Raphael's  inimitable  picture  of  the  Transfiguration. 
It  was  his  last  and  best  work  ;  and  before  he  had  quite 
finished  it,  he  was  suddenly  cut  off  by  death  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty-seven.  This  glorious  painting, 
bearing  the  last  and  fresh  traces  of  his  master-hand, 
was  suspended  over  the  couch  where  the  dead  body 
of  the  illustrious  artist  lay  in  state,  and  at  his  funeral 
it  was  borne  in  the  train  immediately  preceding  his 
remains.  Raphael  sleeps  in  the  Pantheon,  a  grand  old 
temple,  built  before  the  Christian  era,  and  in  a  bettei 
state  of  preservation  than  any  contemporary  building 
in  Rome. 

The  Pope  resides  in  the  Yatican,  except  during  four 
months  in  the  summer,  when  he  occupies  the  Quirinal, 
or  Pontifical  Palace  on  Monte  Cavallo.  Our  Consul 
gives  Americans  permission  to  visit  this  palace.  It 
has  extensive  apartments,  many  of  which  are  adorned 
with  fine  paintings,  tapestries  and  furniture.  The 
adjoining  garden  is  shady  with  lofty  box  and  cypress, 
relieved  with  statues  and  fountains.  In  one  part  of 
the  grounds  is  an  organ  played  by  water,  and  a  large 
number  of  hidden  pipes,  which  at  the  will  of  an  at- 


118       KOME SPADA FESTIVAL   IN    SISTINE   CHAPEL. 

tendant,  throw  jets  of  water  in  all  directions,  causing, 
the  visitors  to  make  a  hasty  retreat  to  an  open  build- 
ing at  hand.  The  Pope  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  his 
accommodations;  and  yet  his  head  must  sometimes 
be  uneasy  even  under  the  triple  crown.  From  the 
Vatican  to  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  formerly 
Hadrian's  Tomb,  but  now  a  strongly  fortified  and 
guarded  place,"  there  is  a  walled  passage  by  which,  in 
case  of  disturbance  or  danger,  the  Pope  may  escape 
to  the  castle  for  safety. 

There  are  numerous  palaces  in  Rome,  containing 
galleries  of  paintings  and  sculptures  of  more  or  less 
merit.  In  the  Spada  stands  the  colossal  statue  of  Poni- 
pey,  at  the  base  of  which  the  great  Julius  Caesar  was 
assassinated.  On  one  of  its  legs  is  a  dark  spot,  said  to 
have  been  made  with  the  blood  of  the  renowned 
victim. 

On  the  8th  of  December  occurs  the  Festival  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  when  the  Pope  and  his  Car- 
dinals officiate  at  the  Sistine  Chapel  in  the  Vatican. 
In  going  up  the  long  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the 
Vatican,  I  found  a  couple  of  waiters  to  take  my  over- 
coat and  hat,  for  which  they  must  be  paid  a  small  sum 
in  advance.  Perceiving  I  had  on  a  frock  coat,  they 
undertook  to  pin  back  the  skirts  to  make  it  resemble 
a  dress  coat ;  but  did  it  so  bunglingly,  that  though 
the  guard  at  the  door  let  me  in,  the  ushers  inside, 
casting  significant  glances  at  my  wardrobe,  would  not 
allow  me  to  take  a  seat  with  those  who  were  more  for- 
tunate in  the  cut  of  their  coats,  but  gave  me  a  good 
standing-place  among  some  priests.  A  gentleman 
immediately  behind  me,  and  in  the  same  fix,  could  not 


THE   POPE — CARDINALS AMERICAN    COLLEGE.       119 

get  in  at  all.  I  suppose  the  Pope's  version  of  a  cer- 
tain passage  is,  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  l)ut  he 
is  of  coat-tails.  The  ladies  were  required  to  dress  in 
black,  and  wore  only  veils  on  their  heads,  of  the  same 
color. 

The  Cardinals  came  one  after  another  to  the  number 
of  twenty-five  or  thirty.  They  ride  each  in  a  splendid 
carriage,  with  gorgeous  and  glaring  equipage,  and 
three  or  four  attendants  bedizened  with  livery,  while 
they  themselves  are  covered  with  scarlet  and  gilt 
robes,  which  are  held  up  by  two  or  three  persons  as 
they  enter  the  chapel  and  go  to  their  seats.  The  Pope 
enters  by  a  side  door  in  his  rich  robes  and  miter,  and 
sits  on  his  throne-like  elevation  covered  with  a  sort  of 
silver  drapery.  Two  or  three  persons  stand  by  him 
continually  to  take  off  and  put  on  his  big  head-cover- 
ing, and  to  adjust  his  robes.  He  is  a  pleasant-looking 
old  man,  and  when  he  waved  his  hand  in  benedictions 
toward  the  audience,  there  was  among  the  faithful 
a  general  prostration  and  crossing  themselves.  The 
services  were  very  uninteresting,  consisting  of  the 
usual  turnings  and  bowings  and  mummery.  One 
priest  made  a  short  address  in  Italian. 

On  the  10th  I  attended  the  opening  of  the  American 
College  in  Rome.  This  institution  is  designed  for  the 
education  of  young  men  from  America  for  the  Romish 
priesthood.  A  number  of  such  students  was  present, 
and  among  them  an  African.  Good  music,  a  spirited 
address  in  Italian  by  Cardinal  Barnabo,  burning  in- 
cense, and  elevating  the  Host,  with  the  usual  genuflec- 
tions, constituted  the  exercises.  The  graduates  of  this 
college,  I  suppose,  are  intended  to  return  to  America, 


to  diffuse  the  leaven  of  Romanism  in  our  land.  "We 
must  meet  them  with  our  own  educated  and  God-sent 
ministry,  in  the  propagation  of  the  pure  and  blessed 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

On  the  preceding  day,  we  made  a  delightful  excur- 
sion to  Tivoli,  some  eighteen  miles  nearly  east  from 
Rome.  We  passed  the  massive  tomb  of  Plautius,  and 
crossed  a  considerable  stream  of  a  milky  hue,  and 
filling  the  air  for  some  distance  with  a  strong  odor  of 
sulphur.  Tivoli  is  most  romantically  situated  on  a 
hill  of  the  Alban  group,  and  we  passed  an  extensive 
olive  orchard  as  we  ascended  to  the  village,  which  in 
itself  has  few  attractions,  its  houses  being  forbidding 
and  filthy.  The  old  Temple  of  the  Sybil,  perched  on 
a  most  commanding  site,  is  a  beautiful  and  interesting 
ruin.  We  wandered  with  great  delight  among  the 
declivities,  the  grottos,  and  along  the  waterfalls, 
which  constitute  the  chief  charms  of  the  place.  We 
looked  at  the  ruins  of  the  Villa  of  Msecenas,  who  was 
the  patron  and  entertainer  of  Horace.  Orators,  philo- 
sophers, and  poets,  were  accustomed  to  make  their 
homes  or  haunts  amid  the  localities  of  Tivoli.  On 
returning  we  rambled  over  the  extensive  ruins  of 
Hadrian's  Villa,  in  a  suburb  of  the  village,  and  won- 
dered at  the  grandeur  of  the  monarch,  when  that  vast 
field  was  covered  with  the  architectural  glory  with 
which  he  invested  the  place.  We  returned  under  a 
clear  mild  sky,  and  the  exquisite  purple  tints  of  a  glo- 
rious sunset  faded  from  the  Alban  and  Sabine  hills, 
only  to  be  succeeded  by  the  soft  splendors  of  a  full  and 
glorious  moon,  that  made  our  homeward  drive  most 
charming. 


X. 

Stow— <M«m— (Entombs— (%istes, 

NOTHING  interests  me  more  than  the  relics  of  the  past, 
when  the  Eternal  City  was  in  its  palmiest  days.  It  is 
impossible  to  convey  the  impressions  they  give  of  the 
wealth  and  power  of  the  old  Romans.  Acres  of  ruins 
mark  the  places  where  stood  some  of  the  grandest 
structures  on  which  the  sun  ever  shone.  The  Palace 
of  the  Caesars  is  a  plowed  field.  Half-buried  arches 
stand  out  in  their  grim  desolation,  and  are  overgrown 
with  shrubbery  and  cypress.  Where  stood  the  Villa 
of  Maecenas,  the  Golden  House  of  Nero,  and  the  Baths 
of  Titus,  is  a  mass  of  ruins.  A  part  of  the  halls  and 
chambers  have  been  excavated,  and  some  of  the  finest 
sculptures  and  vases  in  the  Vatican  were  found  in 
them.  You  follow  a  guide  with  torches  into  these 
rooms,  and  you  still  see  remains  of  exquisite  marbles, 
mosaics  and  frescoes.  The  ruins  of  the  Baths  of  Car- 
acalla  are  still  more  ample  and  stupendous.  Those 
of  Diocletian  were  remodeled  by  Michael  Angelo  and 
turned  into  a  church,  which,  out  of  Rome,  would  be  re- 
garded as  a  most  magnificent  edifice,  and  yet  it  includes 
only  a  portion  of  the  old  structure.  The  cloisters  of 
this  church  are  extensive  and  fine,  and  in  its  court 
stand  some  venerable  cypress  trees  planted  by  Michael 
Angelo  three  hundred  years  ago.  In  this  church  we 

6 


122  ROME — FOUNTAINS — CAPITOL FOKUM. 

were  shown  what  were  said  to  be  the  bodies  of  the 
martyrs  Felicitas  and  Prosper,  with  various  other 
relics.  The  ruins  of  the  Claudian  Aqueduct,  stretch- 
ing away  over  and  beyond  the  Porta  Haggiore,  are 
one  of  the  most  striking  and  impressive  relics  of  the 
old  city,  which  must  have  been  abundantly  supplied 
with  water.  There  are  now  over  a  hundred  fountains, 
some  of  them  very  elaborate  and  picturesque  in  stat- 
uary, and  other  contrivances  for  throwing  columns  of 
water  and  spray  into  the  air. 

Among  the  most  remarkable  and  interesting  objects 
in  Rome,  are  the  ruins  of  the  Forum  and  the  Coliseum. 
I  have  made  several  visits  to  these  localities ;  but  let 
me  sketch  an  evening  ramble  amid  the  shadows  of 
these  astonishing  relics  of  a  departed  age.  On  a 
cloudless,  moonlight  evening,  a  few  of  us  took  a  stroll 
from  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  to  the  Corso,  and  from 
thence  by  Trajan's  Forum,  whose  broken  pillars  of 
granite  and  floor  of  variegated  marble,  and  whose 
lone,  majestic  columns,  attest  the  former  splendor  of 
the  edifice,  to  •  the  broad  stairway  of  the  Capitol, 
ascending  which  brought  us  to  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Capitol,  occupied  by  the  present  edifice,  in  which  are 
some  fine  halls  of  statuary,  and  where  you  linger  in 
rapt  admiration  before  the  Dying  Gladiator.  We 
descended  the  Capitoline  Hill  close  by  the  grand  Arch 
of  Septimius  Severus,  and  before  us,  on  the  right, 
were  the  silent  and  solemn  ruins  of  the  Forum.  A 
few  columns,  here  and  there,  are  still  standing,  in 
exquisite  beauty  and  finish,  as  if  to  remind  us  of  the 
splendor  of  the  ancient  edifice,  where  Cicero  and  other 
orators  discoursed  so  eloquently  to  vast  assemblies  of 


AKCH    OF   TITUS THE  COLISEUM.  123 

the  people.  What  grandeur  then !  "What  desolation 
now  !  We  enter  the  Via  Sacra,  where  Horace  loved 
to  walk,  and  passing  on  our  left  the  magnificent  arches 
of  the  Temple  of  Peace,  we  reach  the  Triumphal  Arch 
of  Titus,  built  to  commemorate  his  conquest  of  Jeru. 
salem.  On  one  of  its  inner  walls  we  see  bas-reliefs  of 
the  golden  candlestick,  the  trumpets,  and  the  ark, 
which  the  conqueror  snatched  from  the  consuming 
Temple,  and  bore  as  conspicuous  spoils  in  his  trium- 
phal procession  through  Home.  Who  can  describe 
the  thoughts  awakened  by  such  a  sight,  at  such  an 
hour!  A  little  farther  on  eastward,  while  grand  old 
broken  columns,  disclosed  by  the  moonlight,  lie  along 
the  way,  we  have  the  lofty  and  beautiful  Arch  of 
Constantine  on  our  right,  and  almost  directly  in  front 
rises,  in  hoary  majesty  and  sublime  decay,  yet  in  over- 
whelming vastness  and  grandeur,  that  kingly  ruin  and 
wonder  of  the  world,  the  Coliseum  !  As  we  approach 
the  entrance,  a  French  soldier,  as  sentinel,  salutes  us, 
and  permits  us  to  enter.  We  wander  over  the  arena, 
amid  the  shadows  of  the  arches  and. walls.  All  is 
silent  and  serene.  How  softly  the  moonbeams  fall  on 
a  spot  where,  nearly  eighteen  centuries  ago,  such 
strange  scenes  of  excitement  and  death  were  witnessed 
by  assemblies  numbering  almost  a  hundred  thousand 
people !  What  multitudes  of  the  early  Christians 
were  there  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts,  to  be  torn  in 
pieces  amidst  the  deafening  shouts  of  their  unfeeling 
persecutors  !  There,  how  often  was  the  Gladiator 

u  Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday !  " 
As  I  thought  of  these  scenes,  and  looked  up  above 


124:  ROME — CATACOMBS    OF   ST.    SEBASTIAN. 

the  gray  old  walls  to  the  sweet  moon  and  serene  stars, 
most  delightful  thoughts  of  heaven,  where  the  martyrs 
are  crowned  with  glory  and  all  the  blessed  rejoice, 
possessed  my  mind,  and  I  observed  to  a  friend,  There 
is  one  city  where  there  are  no  ruins,  and  the  temple 
therein  shall  never  decay ;  how  glorious  the  privilege 
of  a  home  and  inheritance  there,  where  all  is  purity 
and  peace!  That  City  is,  indeed,  Eternal. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  with  what  pride  and  sat- 
isfaction the  Coliseum  was  regarded  when  it  stood  in 
its  unimpaired  and  sublime  magnificence,  and  how 
astonished  pilgrims,  on  beholding  it,  should  exclaim — • 

"  While  stands  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  stand ; 
When  falls  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  fall ; 
And  when  Romei  alls — the  world." 

We  returned  to  our  lodgings,  musing  on  human 
greatness  and  decay,  and  with  pictures  made  on  the 
memory  that  can  only  fade  with  life. 

Old  Rome  is  not  only  partially  buried  by  the  gradual 
accumulations  on  the  surface  for  nearly  two  thousand 
years,  but  beneath  these  relics  there  are  extensive  re- 
cesses, stretching  away  for  miles,  excavated  in  the 
tufa,  or  soft  rock,  and  crowded  with  the  tombs  and 
remains  of  the  dead.  I  had  visited  the  tombs  of  the 
Scipios  and  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Sebastian,  which  con- 
tain numerous  underground  passages  and  chambers ;  but 
I  was  anxious  to  make  further  excursions  into  these  won- 
derful subterranean  cemeteries.  Through  the  favor 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  acting  President  of  the  American 
College,  a  large  party  of  us  were  gratified  in  making 
a  visit  to  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Calixtus.  "We  rode  out 


APPIAN    WAY CATACOMBS    OF    ST.    CALIXTUS.          125 

some  miles  on  the  Appian  Way — where,  some  days 
before,  I  had  made  a  longer  excursion,  and  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  tombs  and  relics  along  that  old  road, 
where  Roman  chariots  once  wheeled  in  triumph — and 
stopped  at  a  gate  opening  into  a  garden  or  field.  We 
entered,  and  proceeded  a  few  paces,  and  then,  with 
lighted  tapers,  a  guide,  and  Dr.  Smith  to  make  explana- 
tions, we  descended  a  narrow  aperture,  and  for  nearly 
three  hours  wandered  amid  those  dark  chambers  of 
death.  How  interesting  was  this  journey  to  a  lower 
world  !  We  sometimes  descended,  and  then  ascended — - 
turned  now  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left — at  one  time 
going  through  long  passages  just  large  enough  to  ad- 
mit a  single  person,  and  presently  we  would  come  to 
a  recess  or  chapel,  arched  above  and  supported  by 
pillars  cut  in  the  rock,  and  large  enough  to  hold  twenty 
or  thirty  persons.  Everywhere,  on  the  right  hand  and 
left, 'were  burial-places,  cut,  one  above  another,  in  the 
sides  of  the  passage.  Sometimes  a  niche  indicated,  by 
its  larger  and  smaller  graves,  a  family  vault.  Most 
of  these  graves  had  been  opened,  by  removing  the 
marble  slab  that  covered  and  sealed  them,  and  con- 
tained inscriptions  relating  to  the  dead.  We  saw 
bones,  skulls  and  skeletons  in  these  graves,  and  could 
often  read  the  inscriptions  on  the  broken  marble. 
Sometimes,  in  the  chapels,  there  were  portraits  and 
religious  emblems  painted  on  the  walls  and  ceiling,  as 
well  as  carved  on  the  tomb-stones.  Here,  doubtless, 
many  thousands  of  the  early  Christians,  in  times  of 
cruel  persecution,  met  for  divine  worship,  and  here 
martyrs  and  others  were  buried.  It  was  pleasant  to 
emerge  from  this  region  of  gloom  and  death  to  the  re- 


126  ROME CHRISTMAS   HOLIDAYS. 

freshing  light  of  a  clear  day.  As  we  hastened  back  to 
the  city,  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  tinging 
in  purple  and  gold  the  adjacent  hills  and  horizon.  O 
how  beautiful  the  light  and  glory  of  that  world  into 
which  the  believer  emerges  when  he  leaves  this  state 
of  sin  and  darkness  ! 

Christmas  holidays  in  Home !  The  foreign  observer 
cannot  but  find  it  interesting  to  see  how  the  great  fes- 
tival of  Christmas  is  kept  in  the  Eternal  City,  where 
the  day  was  first  set  apart  as  a  holy  day,  having  been 
changed  by  the  Church  from  a  heathen  to  a  Christian 
festival.  And  one  might  well  conclude,  after  witness- 
ing the  various  ceremonies  of  the  occasion,  that  the 
heathen  element  was  not  yet  entirely  eliminated.  The 
observances  begin  the  night  before  Christmas,  and 
services  of  various  sorts,  in  different  churches,  are  kept 
up  through  nearly  all  the  hours  of  night;  but  none  of 
them  seemed  to  be  of  any  special  interest. 

St.  Peter's  was  the  great  attraction  on  Christmas 
Day,  which,  this  year,  occurred  on  Sunday.  I  went 
at  an  early  hour,  to  get  a  good  position  for  observation, 
and  succeeded,  though  for  the  want  of  a  dress  coat  I 
was  not  admitted  to  seats  provided  for  such  as  wore 
the  prescribed  outer  garment,  and  for  ladies  arrayed  in 
black  and  veiled.  On  entering  the  vast  and  glittering 
structure,  the  scene  presented  had  more  the  aspect  of 
a  military  rendezvous,  than  a  place  of  Christian  wor- 
ship. Long  lines  of  soldiers,  in  gay  and  brilliant  uni- 
forms, and  thoroughly  armed  and  equipped,  their 
muskets  and  swords  gleaming  in  the  light  that  streamed 
from  the  windows,  stood  under  the  magnificent  nave 
and  dome,  and  were  being  drilled  by  their  proper 


127 

officers,  giving  their  various  commands  as  on  a  muster- 
day.  In  different  parts  of  the  church,  priests  and 
other  ecclesiastics  were  perambulating  about,  in  all 
imaginable  forms  and  colors  of  dress,  from  the  long, 
tight,  scarecrow-looking  robe,  to  the  full  and  tawdry 
glitter  of  crimson  and  scarlet.  Major-domos,  or  mar- 
shals and  ushers,  were  also  most  fantastically  habited, 
some  of  them  in  short  clothes  and  stockings,  with  big 
white  ruffles,  reminding  one  of  the  portraits  and  cos- 
tumes of  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  and  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 
At  ten  o'clock,  the  soldiery  divided  into  two  exten- 
ded columns,  from  the  door  to  the  high  altar,  and  a 
bustle  about  the  entrance  indicated  the  approach  of 
the  Pope  and  his  retinue  of  Cardinals  and  others. 
Soon  His  Holiness  was  brought  in,  seated  on  a  chair 
resting  on  a  platform,  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  men. 
Above  him  was  a  rich  canopy,  while  he  himself  wore 
his  tiara  and  his  gorgeous  pontifical  garments.  Before 
him  went  men  bearing  seven  long  wax  candles  burn- 
ing, while  others  carried  in  full  view  the  triple  crown ; 
at  his  side  were  borne  large  fan-like  things,  of  ostrich 
or  peacock  feathers,  indicating  that  his  eyes  were 
upon  all,  and  all  eyes  upon  him  ;  and  in  his  rear  was 
a  long  procession  of  Cardinals  and  Priests,  mostly 
arrayed  in  scarlet  robes.  As  the  pageant  moved  on 
towards  the  altar,  the  Pope  slightly  bowing  and 
waving  his  hand,  the  military  lines  by  sections  and 
others  fell  on  their  knees  before  him.  He  was  carried 
to  a  seat  behind  the  altar  where,  during  the  services, 
he  remained  part  of  the  time,  or  when  not  personally 
officiating  at  the  altar.  The  Pope's  choir,  without  the 
aid  of  instrumental  music,  except  once  when  the  silver 


128  EOME — CHRISTMAS THE    BAMBINO. 

trumpets  were  blown,  sang  quite  frequently,  though 
not  extraordinarily  well.  Cardinal  Antonelli,  the 
Pope's  Secretary,  and  Premier  in  temporal  matters, 
officiated  a  part  of  the  time.  He  is  of  medium  height, 
and  slender,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  with  a  deci- 
ded intellectual  cast  of  countenance.  The  ceremonies 
over,  in  which  I  could  discover  nothing  particularly 
relevant  to  the  occasion,  the  Pope  and  his  train  left 
the  church  in  the  same  manner  in  which  they  entered 
it.  The  whole,  as  an  exhibition  or  show,  was  a  grand 
pageant ;  but  as  indicative  of  the  religion  of  Him  who 
was  meek  and  lowly  of  heart,  it  was  simply  ridicu- 
lous. 

At  various  other  churches,  special  ceremonies  were 
observed.  At  St.  Maria  Maggiore  there  was,  in  a  sort 
of  basement  room,  a  miniature  representation  of  the 
birth  of  Christ — the  manger,  oxen,  and  other  sur- 
roundings. A  portion  of  the  real  cradle,  or  manger, 
at  Bethlehem,  was  exhibited — so  they  say — and  a  pic- 
ture of  the  Yirgin  and  Child,  said  to  have  been  painted 
by  Luke.  The  church  at  evening  was  partially  illu- 
minated, and  made  a  fine  appearance.  At  St.  John 
Lateran  and  at  Trinita  di  Monte,  the  music  was  superb. 
At  the  latter  church,  a  few  nuns,  with  sweet  voices, 
sang  at  Vespers  almost  daily.  At  a  church  near  the 
Capitol,  there  was  quite  a  scenic  display  through  the 
week.  By  means  of  a  painted  pasteboard  and  perspec- 
tive, Bethlehem  was  represented,  the  shepherds  and 
their  flocks  in  the  fields,  and  the  angel  hosts.  But  the 
central  figure  and  chief  attraction  wras  the  celebrated 
Bambino,  or  figure  of  the  infant  Saviour,  brilliantly 
clad,  and  bedecked  with  jewels.  This  Bambino  is 


THE   POPE   AT   THE   CHURCH    OF   THE   JESUITS.        129 

regarded  with  great  veneration,  and  is  supposed  to 
have  great  power  in  healing  the  sick.  It  is  often  sent 
to  the  rooms  of  invalids,  and  its  fees — for  it  never 
makes  a  visit  without  a  fee — are  sometimes  more  in 
amount  than  those  of  any  doctor  in  Rome. 

On  Saturday,  the  last  day  of  the  year,  there  was  a 
grand  display  at  the  splendid  church  of  the  Jesuits. 
Seats  had  been  provided — in  the  Romish  churches  of 
Europe  very  little  provision  is  made  for  people  to  sit 
— and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  large  edi- 
fice was  well  filled.  You  rarely  see  Catholic  churches 
filled.  They  are  generally  open,  and  persons  are 
going  in  and  out,  kneeling,  crossing  themselves,  and 
counting  their  beads,  at  all  hours.  The  music  at  this 
church  on  this  occasion  was  very  fine.  There  are  five 
different  organs  in  as  many  galleries,  and  as  they  were 
played  one  after  another,  the  effect  was  novel  and 
agreeable.  A  well  trained  choir,  with  excellent  voi- 
ces, sang  admirably.  About  four  o'clock  the  Pope 
and  his  train  entered.  He  walked,  preceded  by  a 
large  military  company,  and  followed  by  ecclesiastics. 
The  choir  sang,  and  a  portion  of  the  congregation  re- 
sponded, or  joined  in  choruses,  with  good  effect.  The 
Pope  officiated  at  the  high  altar,  and  the  choir  sang 
the  grand  Te  Deum  in  a  manner  that  was  deeply 
impressive.  One  could  here  realize  something  of  the 
power  and  fascination  which  the  Catholic  religion  has 
over  some  minds.  The  gorgeously  ornate  church,  with 
its  fine  paintings  and  statuary,  the  grand  display  of 
the  Pope  and  his  retinue,  the  bowing  of  the  military 
and  others  on  their  knees  as  he  passed,  the  charming 
music  of  organ  and  voice,  the  solemn  responses,  the 

6* 


130  ROME — THE   PRIESTS    AXD   THE   PEOPLE. 

burning  of  candles  arranged  for  effect,  and  "  the  dim 
religious  light  "  of  the  closing  day — all  were  adapted 
to  impress  and  captivate  the  senses. 

There  are,  I  believe,  about  ten  thousand  priests  in 
the  city  of  Rome.  One  meets  them  constantly  in  the 
in  the  street — sometimes  singly,  sometimes  in  com- 
panies or  processions.  You  know  them  at  once  by 
their  dress,  though  each  different  order  has  a  costume 
peculiar  to  itself.  Their  robes  are  of  all  colors  and 
patterns — black,  red,  brown  and  white ;  and  while 
some  are  close-fitting,  others  are  full  and  flowing. 
Most  of  them,  as  throughout  all  Italy,  wear  low  oval- 
crowned  fur  hats,  with  very  broad  brims,  which,  in 
two  or  three  places,  are  bent  up  and  tied  to  the  crown. 
Some  of  the  monks  and  Capuchins  go  about  the  streets 
with  their  heads  entirety  bare,  and  scarcely  anything 
on  their  feet;  while  the  Cardinals  and  some  other 
priests  are  richly,  and  even  gorgeously,  appareled. 
The  Cardinals  have  their  splendid  carriages  and  liv- 
eried servants.  It  must,  of  course,  require  an  enor- 
mous tax  to  support  so  many  priests.  The  better 
class  of  the  Roman  people,  it  is  said,  feel  deeply  the 
oppression  of  the  hierarchy.  You  see  the  men  in  their 
cloaks  walking  the  streets  with  a  sad  and  downcast 
look.  In  the  time  of  the  temporary  Revolution  in 
1S49,  the  carriages  of  the  Cardinals  were  seized  and 
burned  ;  and  it  is  thought,  in  case  of  another  such  out- 
break, the  Cardinals  themselves  would  not  be  spared. 
The  people  of  Rome,  as  of  all  Italy,  are  poor.  The 
standard  of  wealth  is  low,  and  there  are  few  who  are 
even  called  rich.  The  common  people  are  very  poor, 
and  live  from  hand  to  mouth.  They  are  neither 


KOMANISM   AT   ttOME.  131 

industrious  nor  persevering.  Generally,  if  they  can 
get  a  job  of  work,  and  tlie  pay  for  it,  they  will  live  as 
long  as  they  can  without  seeking  any  further  employ- 
ment. They  live  very  cheaply  ;  and  beggars  meet 
you  importuningly  at  every  step.  You  pity  the  poor 
creatures,  and  deplore  the  state  of  society,  the  religion, 
and  the  government,  which  produce  such  unhappy 
results.  In  Rome,  you  see  the  extremes  towards 
which  the  Papal  faith  ever  tends.  Its  arrogant 
assumptions  and  pretended  prerogatives  exalt  and 
aggrandize  a  few,  while  its  oppressions,  exactions,  and 
blinding  influences,  keep  the  many  in  deplorable  igno- 
rance and  wretched  subservience  and  beggary.  How 
intelligent  Englishmen  or  Americans  can  be  so  far 
beside  themselves,  or  so  ignorant  of  the  rudiments  of 
Scriptural  religion,  as  to  become  Romanists,  I  cannot 
see ;  and  yet  it  is  said  a  considerable  number,  espec- 
ially of  the  former,  every  year  go  over  to  the  old 
superstition  while  residing  at  Rome.  It  would  cer- 
tainly seem  that  they  must  be  deficient  in  brains, 
Bible  knowledge,  or  common  sense  ;  for  of  all  places 
where  Romanism  exhibits  its  glaring  deformities,  its 
marked  absurdities,  and  its  manifest  evil  tendencies, 
Rome  itself  is  the  most  conspicuous. 

In  my  brief  way-notes,  many  things  can  only  be 
alluded  to  in  an  unsatisfactory  manner,  while  others 
are  entirely  passed  over.  I  would  like  to  speak  of  a 
visit  to  the  Protestant  burying  ground,  and  the  graves 
of  Keats,  Shelley,  and  others,  and  the  Tarpeian  Rock ; 
to  the  pyramid  of  Caius  Cestius,  and  the  Mausoleum 
of  Augustus ;  to  the  Temples  of  Minerva  and  Vesta,  and 
to  several  picture  galleries ;  but  passing  over  these, 


132  EOME VILLAS    AND   STUDIOS. 

and  all  mention  of  the  shops  of  jewelry  and  Roman 
mosaics  and  cameos,  I  will  just  say  a  word  of  some 
villas  and  studios  which  I  visited  with  interest. 

In  the  suburbs  of  Rome  are  a  few  beautiful  villas. 
The  gardens  of  the  Villa  Albani  are  delightfully  laid 
out  into  charming  walks,  shaded  with  evergreen  shrub- 
bery, and  interspersed  with  fountains  and  flowers. 
But  the  large  collection  of  antique  sculpture  in  the 
buildings  interested  me  most  of  all.  There  were,  busts 
of  poets,  philosophers  and  heroes,  whose  likenesses 
one  is  much  gratified  to  see.  The  Villa  Borghese  is 
even  more  extensive  in  its  grounds,  halls  and  statuary. 
It  contains  a  splendid  specimen  of  modern  sculpture — 
by  Canova,  I  believe — a  partially  recumbent  figure  of 
Pauline  Bonaparte,  sister  of  Napoleon  I.  She  mar- 
ried the  Prince  Borghese,  and  was  a  woman  of  remark- 
able beauty. 

I  have  a  very  pleasant  recollection  of  visits  to  sev- 
eral studios  of  American  artists  residing  in  Rome. 
At  the  rooms  of  Mr.  Chapman,  of  Mr.  Terry,  and  of 
Mr.  Ropes,  I  saw  some  admirable  pictures.  Mr. 
Chapman  is  well  known  in  New-York  ;  the  other  two 
gentlemen  have  lived,  I  believe,  in  Connecticut. — 
From  the  latter  State  is  Mr.  Ives,  a  fine  sculptor,  in 
whose  studio  I  saw  an  excellent  bust  of  Senator  Sew- 
ard,  a  beautiful  Ruth  and  Rebecca,  and  a  Pandora  of 
exquisite  proportions  and  finish.  His  Excelsior  is  also 
deserving  of  high  praise.  At  Miss  Lander's  and  Miss 
Hosmer's  studios  I  also  saw  beautiful  specimens  of 
sculpture.  Miss  Lander's  Evangeline  and  Virginia 
Dare  are  certainly  gems  of  art.  Mr.  Rogers,  model 
of  doors  for  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  struck  me  as 


PINCIAN   HILL.  133 

superior  to  the  doors  of  the  Baptistery  at  Florence, 
which  Michael  Angelo  deemed  worthy  to  be  the  gates 
of  Paradise. 

I  must  say  a  word  about  Pincian  Hill.  It  is  a 
more  conspicuous  eminence,  and  attracts  more  visitors 
than  either  of  the  ancient  Seven  Hills.  Ascending 
the  long  flight  of  steps  from  the  Piazza  di  Spagna, 
around  which  the  shops  and  hotels  have  quite  an  En- 
glish or  American  appearance,  and  turning  to  the 
left,  you  soon  reach  one  of  the  most  charming  spots  for 
promenading  in  Home.  Before  you  arrive  there,  if  it 
be  late  in  the  afternoon,  you  pass  on  the  fine  street 
almost  as  many  carriages  as  it  will  hold,  and  numer- 
ous pedestrians  going  to  or  returning  from  the  summit 
of  the  Hill.  Among  the  persons  you  meet  few  are 
natives ;  here  and  there  you  see  one  in  the  peculiar 
costume  of  the  peasantry,  with  conical  hat,  embroi- 
dered coat  or  dress,  and  anything  but  neat  in  general 
appearance;  but  the  multitude  thronging  the  beau- 
tiful, garden-like  grounds,  with  shady  walks  adorned 
with  statuary,  and  fountains,  and  flowers,  are  English, 
Americans,  Russians,  and  others.  A  military  com- 
pany in  fine  uniform,  with  an  excellent  band  of  music, 
is  often  found  here.  The  view  from  this  spot  is  en- 
chanting. In  one  direction  beautiful  suburban  villas 
meet  your  gaze,  with  the  Campagna,  and  the  Alban 
and  Sabine  hills  beyond ;  in  another  you  see  the  Jan- 
iculam,  St.  Peter's,  the  Vatican,  and  various  windings 
of  the  Tiber,  as  it  courses  through  the  city  and  towards 
the  sea.  My  first  visit  to  Pincian  Hill  was  near  the 
close  of  a  fete  day,  when  it  was  thronged  with  gay 
carriages,  and  crowded  with  fashionable  pedestrians; 


L34  ROME — AN  ITALIAN  SUNSET. 

but  the  most  interesting  sight  was  the  glorious  sunset. 
It  was  a  lovely  day,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  the  golden 
rays  fell  softly  yet  brilliantly  over  domes,  towers,  and 
groves  of  pine  and  cypress,  till  something  of  heaven 
seemed  to  be  blend  with  earth.  The  scene  was  sweetly 
suggestive  of  the  glory  of  the  celestial  city.  It  was 
not  often  that  we  had  such  a  sunset  or  such  clear  skies 
while  I  have  been  in  Italy.  About  half  of  the  time  it 
has  been  rainy  and  disagreeably  cold,  which,  added  to 
the  filthy  streets  of  the  towns,  the  dismal  dwellings  ot 
the  people,  and  the  general  shiftlessness  of  almost 
everything  pertaining  to  man,  beast  or  field,  pretty 
effectually  dispelled  the  poetic  charm  of  Italian  love- 
liness. 

I  stand  on  one  of  the  ancient  hills, 

In  the  hoary  city  of  Rome, 
And  a  glorious  scene  my  spirit  thrills, 

As  I  look  away  toward  home. 

'Tie  the  setting  sun  in  his  brilliant  dyes, 
And  what  matchless  tints  are  given  ! 

They  seem  like  the  light  of  celestial  skies 
O'er  the  jasper  walls  of  Heaven. 

How  softly  on  groves  of  cypress  and  pine, 
On  domes,  turrets  and  temples  old, 

The  blending  glories  linger  and  shine, 
And  bathe  St.  Peter's  in  gold. 

On  Alban  slope  and  Sabine  crown 

The  purpling  sumbeams  play, 
And  drop  on  the  winding  Tiber  down 

Like  glimmerings  of  upper  day. 


XT. 

ii—  teirios—  ! 


THE  knell  of  another  year  has  struck,  and  its  last 
month,  passed  in  the  imperial  city,  has  fixed  its  imper- 
ishable record  on  the  memory.  Now,  on  a  bright 
morning  of  the  New  Year,  we  take  our  last  look  of 
Rome,  grateful  for  the  privilege  of  visiting  a  place  of 
such,  wonderful  interest,  and  yet  a  feeling  of  sadness 
cannot  be  avoided,  as  thoughts  of  the  past  and  present 
of  the  city  crowd  into  the  mind.  Her  coming  history 
—what  will  it  be  ?  She  will  doubtless  participate  in 
great  and  stirring  scenes  of  change  and  revolution  ; 
and  some  of  them  may  be  even  now  at  her  gates  !  At 
Civita  Yecchia,  after  the  usual  delay  of  police  regula- 
tions, we  took  a  fine  French  steamer,  and  had  a  pleas- 
ant run  to  Naples,  which  we  reached  about  sunrise 
the  next  morning.  We  had  ample  time  to  survey  the 
beautiful  harbor  and  its  surroundings,  including  Mount 
Vesuvius,  while  the  slow  officials  were  procuring  us 
permission  to  land. 

Naples  is  a  large  city,  the  largest  in  Italy,  and  has 
a  fine  picturesque  situation,  but  contains  little  in  itself 
that  interests  the  tourist.  The  city  rises  gradually 
from  the  beautiful  bay,  and  the  Castle  of  St.  Elmo  sits 
like  a  crown  on  its  highest  eminence.  A  few  of  the 
streets  are  fine,  and  have  an  air  of  business  thrift  ;  but 


136  HERCULANEUM  AND  POMPEII. 

for  the  most  part  the  town  is  filthy  and  seems  to  be 
filled  with  a  dirty  and  lazy  set  of  good-for-nothing 
vagabonds  and  beggars.  One,  however,  may  profit- 
ably spend  several  days  in  most  delightful  and  excit- 
ing excursions  in  the  vicinity  of  Naples.  Our  first 
trips  were  to  Herculaneiim  and  Pompeii. 

We  greatly  enjoyed  our  visit  to  these  buried  and 
partially  excavated  cities.  A  half  an  hour  will  suffice 
for  seeing  all  that  can  be  shown  of  ancient  Hercula- 
neum.  It  was  no  doubt  a  large  and  splendid  city,  but 
owing  to  the  hardness  of  the  volcanic  tufa  or  rock  that 
covers  it,  very  little  of  it  has  been  unfolded  to  the 
light.  We  descended  with  candles  to  that  portion  of 
a  splendid  amphitheater  which  has  been  opened,  and 
from  which  many  fine  statues  have  been  taken  and 
removed  to  the  Museum  in  Naples.  At  some  distance 
from  this  an  excavation  of  a  few  houses  has  been  made, 
but  there  is  nothing  there  to  excite  much  interest. 
Quite  a  bustling  town  has  been  built  over  the  remains 
of  this  silent  city  of  the  dead. 

Pompeii,  which  was  overwhelmed  by  the  same 
remarkable  eruption  of  Mt.  Vesuvius  in  the  first  cen- 
tury, has  been  excavated  to  a  considerable  extent,  and 
we  wandered  for  nearly  a  whole  day  through  its  death- 
like streets  and  dwellings,  and  still  we  left  much  of  it 
unseen.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  appearance 
of  this  singular  city,  or  to  convey  adequately  an  idea 
of  the  profound  interest  awakened  at  every  step.  We 
walked  over  long,  well-paved  streets,  where  the  rut- 
marks  made  by  the  Roman  chariots  were  as  evident  as 
if  they  had  wheeled  along  there  but  yesterday.  We 
entered  houses,  and  their  various  apartments,  as  par- 


POMPEII HOUSE  OF  DIOMEDE.  137 

lors,  dining-rooms,bed-rooms, kitchens,  and  baths,  and 
often  saw  on  their  walls  various  and  elegant  frescoes,  the 
colors  still  bright  and  beautiful,  indicating  the  refine- 
ment and  wealth  of  their  occupants.  We  passed  into 
temples,  forums,  and  theaters,  and  from  the  columns  or 
fragments  of  columns  and  other  portions  of  the  build- 
ings still  standing,  an  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  for- 
mer magnificence  of  these  structures.  A  piece  of 
statuary  here  and  there  is  still  left  where  it  was  found  ; 
but  most  of  these  works  of  ancient  art  have  been  re- 
moved to  the  Museum  in  Naples.  Often  there  is 
enough  left  in  a  building  to  indicate  its  use.  "We  thus 
saw  bakers'  and  barbers'  shops,  noticing  in  the  first 
the  mill  and  the  oven.  I  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
private  dwellings,  in  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms, 
and  the  appropriate  or  peculiar  pictures  painted  on 
their  walls.  In  a  dining-room  for  instance,  there  would 
be  pictures  of  fishes,  fowls  and  game.  Often  there 
would  be  remnants  of  beautiful  mosaics  in  the  floors, 
and  of  the  marble  fountains  in  the  open  courts.  In 
some  of  the  cellars  the  old  earthen  wine-jars  remain 
standing  against  the  wall  just  as  they  did  when  the 
great  and  sudden  calamity  overwhelmed  the  city.  In 
the  house  of  Diomede,  you  see  the  spot  in  a  basement 
room  where  several  persons  of  the  family  huddled 
together  and  perished.  An  impress  of  their  figures 
of  different  heights  remains  upon  the  wall,  where  their 
skeletons  were  found.  Pictures  in  some  of  the  houses 
indicate  a  low  state  of  morals  among  the  people ;  and 
perhaps  for  their  great  wickedness,  God  in  his  Provi- 
dence overthrew  them,  as  he  did  the  Cities  of  the 
Plain.  Along  both  sides  of  one  of  the  streets,  as  you 


138  THE   MUSEUM    IN   NAPLKS. 

enter  the  city,  are  rows  of  tombs,  some  of  them  appar- 
ently large  family  vaults,  and  were  once  richly  orna- 
mented with  various  marble  sculptures,  fragments  of 
which  remain.  But  I  cannot  linger  to  particularize. 
Pompeii  was  covered  with  cinders  and  ashes,  which 
are  easily  removed  ;  but  not  half  the  city  has  }'etbeen 
laid  open.  Trees  are  growing  just  above  the  houses 
not  yet  excavated.  The  tops  of  the  buildings  and  of 
the  columns  are  generally  gone  ;  and  the  stumps  of  the 
city  indicate  its  former  greatness,  as  the  stumps  in  a 
cleared  field  show  how  the  stately  forest  once  nour- 
ished there. 

After  my  visit  to  Pompeii,  I  was  anxious  to  see  in 
the  Borbonico  Museum  at  Naples  the  statuary  and 
other  objects  of  interest  found  in  the  buried  cities. 
The  collection  is  exceedingly  large,  varied  and  won- 
derful. I  have  not  anywhere  seen  so  fine  and  full  an 
array  of  ancient  sculpture.  One  room  contains  statues 
in  bronze,  and  several  other  rooms  are  filled  with  mar- 
ble figures  and  busts,  many  of  which  are  exquisite  in 
proportion  and  finish.  Frescoes  from  Pompeii,  with- 
out number,  are  here  preserved.  Domestic  utensils 
and  implements  of  husbandry,  in  copper  and  iron,  as 
well  as  all  sorts  of  pottery  and  some  specimens  of 
glassware,  fill  several  large  rooms.  One  is  struck  with 
the  resemblance  of  many  of  them  to  implements  still 
in  use  with  us.  You  see  there  specimens  of  the  jew- 
elry, the  bracelets,  the  finger-rings,  and  the  cameos 
which  the.  Pompeiian  ladies  wore.  There  too  is  some 
of  the  fruit,  and  a  loaf  or  two  of  bread,  stamped  with 
the  maker's  name,  dried  and  slightly  charred,  but 
otherwise  appearing  precisely  as  they  did  nearly 


THE    ASCENT    OF    VESUVIUS.  139 

eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  You  see  also  the  key  of 
the  city  gate,  found  in  the  skeleton  hand  of  the  senti- 
nel, who  did  not  desert  his  post  at  the  coming  on  of 
the  fiery  storm  that  destroyed  the  city.  The  day  in 
the  Museum,  as  the  day  at  Pompeii,  was  worth  many 
leagues  of  travel  to  enjoy,  and  its  sights  and  impres- 
sions can  never  be  effaced  from  the  mind. 

Our  next  excursion  was  to  the  remarkable  volcano 
of  Vesuvius.  A  carriage  drive  of  some  two  or  three 
hours  brings  us  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  There 
the  ladies  and  some  of  the  gentlemen  take  horses, 
while  others  of  us  walk  to  the  base  of  the  cone,  a  dis- 
tance of  some  five  miles,  being  a  gradual  ascent,  and 
part  of  the  way  over  immense  fields  of  lava,  folded 
and  twisted  into  various  shapes  as  it  flowed  hot  down 
the  mountain  side.  Its  black  wavy  forms  resemble,  in 
everything  but  color,  vast  glaciers.  The  region  has 
an  awfully  bleak  and  desolate  appearance,  and  one 
almost  shudders  at  the  emblems  of  terror  and  power 
around  him.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  ascend  the  cone. 
The  ladies  had  to  be  helped  up  by  the  guides,  and 
often  stopped  to  rest.  It  is  very  steep,  and  the  loose 
sand  and  scoriae  give  way  under  your  feet  at  every  step. 
At  length  all  got  up  safely  and  in  good  spirits ;  and 
sitting  down  by  a  little  fiery  fissure  on  the  summit, 
we  had  some  eggs  roasted  by  volcanic  heat.  Then 
we  proceeded  to  the  verge  of  the  awful  crater,  looking 
down  into  its  smoking  and  fiery  abysses,  as  gusts  of 
wind  occasionally  cleared  away  the  sulphurous  obstruc- 
tions to  our  vision.  The  fog  which  had  enveloped 
the  mountain  during  our  ascent  was  now  dispelled, 
and  we  had  glorious  views  of  the  grand  and  desolate 


140  TOMB    OF   VIKGIL rUTEOLI. 

scenery  around  the  volcano,  and  a  beautiful  panorama 
of  Naples,  the  bay,  and  a  portion  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  and  its  islands.  The  descent  of  the  cone  was 
quickly  made,  and  in  high  glee  at  the  ludicrous  man- 
ner in  which  we  slid,  ran  and  pitched  along.  It  was 
impossible  to  go  slowly  or  gravely.  A  little  below 
the  foot  of  the  cone  we  turned  aside  to  see  a  river  of 
red  hot  lava  flowing  out  of  the  mountain  and  down 
its  slope.  It  was  a  grand,  terrible  sight,  and  for  some 
distance  we  could  hear  the  grating,  crackling  sound 
of  the  glowing  lava  current.  We  all  reached  our 
lodgings  in  safety,  with  another  day  of  wonder  strongly 
and  prominently  marked  in  the  calender  of  life's  pil- 
grimage. 

One  more  excursion  remained,  and  then  we  were 
ready  for  the  expected  steamer  to  bear  us  to  the 
Orient,  though  we  had  longings  for  a  sight  of  the  tem- 
ples of  Psestum,  but  could  hardly  find  time  to  see 
them  now.  Our  last  excursion  was  to  Baias,  the  favor- 
ite resort  of  emperors  and  nobles  and  literary  men  in 
the  palmy  days  of  Rome.  The  Appian  Way,  from  the 
imperial  city  passed  hither,  and  extended  to  Pompeii. 
Just  before  we  entered  the  grotto  of  Possilipo,  a  long 
tunnel  or  underground  road,  which  Seneca  likened  to 
a  gloomy  prison,  we  stopped  at  the  Tomb  of  Yirgil,  a 
spot  of  deep  interest,  though  there  may  be  some 
doubt  as  to  its  being  the  resting  place  of  the  re- 
mains of  the  illustrious  bard. 

We  stopped  next  at  Pozzuoli,  the  modern  name  for 
Puteoli,  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  as  the 
place  where  Paul,  Luke,  Aristarchus,  and  others  land- 
ed, after  their  long  and  perilous  voyage  in  the  ship 


LAKE    AVEKNTJS KUINS    OF   BAI.E.  141 

whose  sign  was  Castor  and  Pollux.  "  The  south  wind 
blew,"  says  the  sacred  narrative,  "  and  we  came  the 
next  day  to  Puteoli,  where  we  found  brethren,  and 
were  desired  to  tarry  with  them  seven  days."  I  con- 
fess I  felt  a  deeper  interest  in  the  place  on  this  account, 
and  turned  away  from  the  remarkable  ruins  of  the 
Temple  of  Jupiter  Serapis  and  the  Amphitheater,  to 
look  upon  the  little  bay  which  the  great  Apostle  sailed 
over,  and  to  try  to  identify  the  spot  where  he  must 
have  stepped  upon  the  shore.  How  pleasantly  that 
week  must  have  passed  with  the  brethren  he  found 
here.  Alas  !  I  fear  he  would  find  none  such  to  wel- 
come him  now,  should  he  visit  the  place  at  the  present 
time.  True,  it  has  its  churches  and  those  who  call 
themselves  Christians,  but  how  unlike  the  primitive 
disciples ! 

A  few  miles  farther  along  the  sea-shore,  and  turn- 
ing a  little  way  to  the  right  into  the  country,  we  reach 
the  famous  lake  Avernus,  around  which  much  of 
mythology  and  mystery  gathered  in  ancient  times. 
There  is  nothing  specially  interesting  about  it  now. 
At  its  southern  side  we  entered  a  dark  subterranean 
passage  leading  over  a  river  that  might  be  another 
Styx.  After  proceeding  some  distance  with  torches, 
we  turned  into  a  side  path,  and  on  the  shoulders  of 
demon-looking  men  we  were  borne  over  a  water-pas- 
sage to  the  cave  and  bath  of  the  Sybil.  Here  were 
chambers  walled xand  arched  with  brick.  "We  re- 
turned, not  caring  to  penetrate  any  further  or  to  see 
whether  Charon  could  be  found  at  his  post. 

The  ruins  about  Baise  are  certainly  extensive  and 
interesting,  especially  the  Baths  of  Nero,  where  the 


142  NAPLES    TO   MALTA. 

hot  mineral  water  still  flows ;  the  temples  of  Diana, 
Mercury,  and  Yen  us ;  the  Piscina  Mirabilis,  an  im- 
mense stone  reservoir  fed  by  the  Julian  Aqueduct, 
and  designed  to  supply  the  Roman  fleet;  and  the 
Prisons  of  Nero,  containing  dark  underground  dun- 
geons which  we  entered  with  lights.  The  greatness 
and  even  grandeur  of  all  these  ruins  indicate  the  magni- 
ficence and  splendor  that  once  rested  upon  these  beauti- 
ful hills  overlooking  the  sea.  But  the  gay  and  tu- 
multuous life  of  the  past  is  succeeded  by  a  dreary  and 
almost  silent  desolation. 

On  the  tenth  of  January  we  left  Naples  in  a  French 
steamer  for  Malta.  "We  soon  passed  the  romantic 
bluffs  of  Sorrento  on  our  left,  and  the  beautiful  rocky 
island  of  Capri  on  our  right.  During  the  night  we 
were  in  view  of  Stromboli,  belching  forth  at  intervals 
its  volcanic  flames  into  the  darkness.  In  about  twenty 
hours,  passing  the  straits  between  Scylla  and  Charyb- 
dis,  we  reached  Messina,  a  considerable  town  on  the 
island  of  Sicily,  wrhere  we  stopped  a  few  hours,  but 
found  nothing  of  special  note  save  dirty  streets  and  a 
filthy  looking  people.  We  passed  through  the  straits 
of  Messina,  observing  Reggio,  a  town  on  the  Italian 
coast,  the  ancient  Rhegium,  mentioned  in  the  voyage 
of  Paul,  already  alluded  to,  and  where  he  was  de- 
tained one  day.  The  next  morning  we  arrived  at 
Malta,  an  island  deeply  interesting  as  connected  with 
the  voyage  and  shipwreck  of  Paul.  We  spent  a  few 
hours  in  the  clean,  pleasant,  English-like  town  of  Ya- 
letta,  visiting  fine  shops  and  purchasing  specimens 
or  lace,  and  some  delicious  oranges,  and  would  like 
to  have  gone  to  St.  Paul's  Bay,  and  identified 


MALTA   TO    ALEXANDRIA.  143 

if  possible,  the  place  of  the  shipwreck,  but  the 
steamer  for  Alexandria  was  ready  to  depart,  and  we 
hastened  on  board.  In  a  little  less  than  four  days 
more  on  the  restless  Mediterranean,  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  towers  and  minarets  of  the  city  founded  by  the 
great  world-conqueror.  On  Sunday,  at  sea,  we  got 
permission  of  the  captain,  and  a  few  of  us,  mostly 
Americans,  held  a  religious  service  in  the  cabin,  with 
prayers,  singing  and  a  sermon  from  the  text :  "If  God 
be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?"  As  we  came  to 
anchor  in  the  harbor,  what  thrilling  emotions  were 
awakened  in  view  of  our  proximity  to  the  ancient 
and  historic  land  of  the  Pharaohs,  the  banks  of  the 
mysterious  Nile,  and  the  shadows  of  the  majestic  and 
hoary  Pyramids ! 


XII. 


HEEE  I  am,  in  "  the  land  of  Egypt,"  beyond  the  Med- 
iterranean, the  Great  Sea  of  the  ancients.  Here  it 
lies,  the  same  land  now  in  its  general  outline  and  con- 
figuration as  when  Abraham  saw  it,  and  the  successive 
Pharaohs  and  Ptolemys  ruled  over  it.  Through  it  the 
same  river  tracks  its  long  course.  The  same  billows 
break  on  its  lower  margin.  The  same  great  deserts 
stretch  away  from  the  sides  of  its  narrow  valley  of 
perpetual  verdure,  guarded  by  the  same  barren  sen- 
tinel hills.  The  same  warm  sun  is  over  it  by  day,  and 
the  bright  stars  look  down-  upon  it  as  of  old  by  night. 
Egypt  is  no  Utopia  —  no  myth.  Here  she  is  now, 

though 

"  A'  stain  is  on  her  glory, 
And  quenched  her  ancient  light." 

My  first  day  in  Africa,  in  Egypt,  in  Alexandria, 
remains  a  curious  and  vivid  picture  in  the  halls  of 
memory.  Our  steamer  had  been  waiting  most  of  the 
night  outside  the  harbor  for  the  day-dawn  and  a  pilot. 
The  Egyptians  never  do  things  in  a  hurry.  At  length, 
the  sun  rose  gloriously  over  the  minarets  and  monu- 
ments of  the  city,  and  we  entered  the  harbor,  January 
16th.  Now  a  lively  and  novel  scene  was  presented. 
Little  boats  surrounded  us,  and  instantly  a  swarm  of 
fellows,  of  all  colors  and  costumes,  came  climbing  up 
(144) 


ORIENTAL    SIGHTS    AND    SCENES.  145 

into  the  ship,  anxious  to  take  us  and  our  baggage 
ashore,  and  to  this  or  that  hotel.  Black  and  white, 
with  every  intervening  shade,  and  some  with  rich, 
flowing  robes,  and  others  with  scarcely  any  robes  at 
all — with  turbans  and  tarbtishes — they  pressed  around 
us,  and  in  broken  English  and  Arabic,  most  pertina- 
ciously offered  their  services.  It  was  difficult  to  keep 
out  of  their  clutches.  Selecting  such  as  we  needed, 
and  making  arrangements  with  a  hotel-keeper,  we 
landed  in  due  time,  and  easily  got  our  baggage 
through  the  Custom-House. 

From  the  windows  of  our  omnibus — an  innovation 
upon  the  kingdom  of  donkeys  and  camels,  caused  by 
railroads — we  saw  novel  pictures  and  phases  of  life. 
Prominent  in  the  view  were  those  huge,  ungainly,  but 
useful  and  patient  animals,  rows  of  camels,  swinging 
along  their  burdens  of  human  and  other  freight. 
Many  and  marvelously  little  donkeys  were  tripping 
along,  under  big  bundles,  much  larger  than  them- 
selves, of  men,  women,  and  goat-skins  of  water  filled 
plumply  out  even  to  the  nose  and  toes,  each  looking 
in  shape  like  the  animal  itself.  Now  we  passed  a 
majestic  and  solemn  Turk  in  full  and  flowing  dress, 
and  now  an  almost  naked  Arab  or  Nubian ;  then  a 
group  of  women,  carrying  heavy  burdens  on  their 
heads,  their  faces  closely  veiled,  except  their  eyes, 
though  their  feet  and  legs  were  bare  ;  and  then,  per- 
haps, a  singular-looking  figure  astride  a  donkey,  which, 
on  a  nearer  view,  proves  to  be  a  Turkish  female,  in  a 
white  veil,  but  almost  completely  enveloped  in  enor- 
mous folds  of  black  silk.  A  succession  of  these  new 
and  strange  features  of  life  excited  and  absorbed  our 
7 


146  ALEXANDRIA DONKEY-BIDING. 

attention  till  we  reached  our  hotel.     These  appear- 
ances were  truly  Oriental. 

After  a  late  breakfast,  some  of  our  party  of  a  dozen 
walked  toward  the  southern  part  of  the  city,  delighted 
with  a  view  of  the  graceful  and  noble  palms,  with 
bananas  and  acacia  trees,  that  skirt  and  adorn  the  city. 
We  came  to  an  eminence  covered  with  short  green 
grass,  which  we  ascended,  and  then  sat  down  to  enjoy 
the  prospect  of  city,  shore  and  sea.  But  the  city  we 
now  looked  upon  was  not  really  that  which  Alexander 
founded,  and  which  so  wonderfully  flourished  under 
the  reigns  of  the  Ptolemys.  Of  that  city,  with  its 
grand  temples,  its  famed  Museum,  and  its  immense 
library,  nothing  remains  save,  perhaps,  two  lonely 
columns.  While  thus  engaged,  another  of  our  party 
came  up  to  us,  mounted  on  a  donkey,  and  just  then, 
others  or  these  animals  being  brought  by  the  boys 
who  have  them  in  charge,  we  were  soon  all  having 
our  first  experience  in  donkey-riding,  and  enjoying  it 
wonderfully.  Donkeys  are  a  great  "  institution"  in 
Egypt.  You  find  them  everywhere.  But  they  are 
scarcely  larger  than  a  good-sized  sheep ;  and  a  man  six 
feet  high,  and  weighing  nearly  two  hundred,  is  some- 
what reluctant  at  first  to  ride  such  a  puny  beast.  He 
feels  as  though  it  might  be  proper  for  him  to  carry  the 
donkey  part  of  the  time — his  superior  bulk,  also,  and 
his  feet  nearly  touching  the  ground,  give  him  a  sort 
of  ridiculous  appearance.  But  he  soon  gets  over  all 
this,  and  is  quite  surprised  at  the  strength  and  nimble- 
ness  of  the  donkey,  which  trots  or  gallops  away  with 
him  at  an  easy  and  rapid  pace.  We  were  so  delighted 
with  this  kind  of  riding,  that  we  kept  at  it  for  sev- 


CLEOPATRA'S  NEEDLE  AND  POMPEY'S  PILLAR.      147 

eral  hours  in  gleeful  excitement.  Each  donkey  is  in 
charge  of  an  Arab  boy  or  man,  who  runs  after  you, 
often  urging  on  the  donkey,  and  whipping  him  unmer- 
cifully. No  matter  how  fast  or  far  you  go,  the  donkey- 
boy  will  keep  along,  ready  to  show  the  way,  and  take 
charge  of  the  animal  when  you  stop.  These  boys 
speak  considerable  English,  and  are  continually  prais- 
ing their  donkeys  or  themselves.  Crowds  of  them  are 
early  at  your  hotel,  calling  your  name,  and  urging 
you  to  take  their  donkeys.  "  Mr.  Doctor,  take  my 
donkey ;  he  bery  good.'1 

Our  first  excursion  was  to  Cleopatra's  Needle,  a  fine 
obelisk  of  red  granite,  seventy  feet  high,  and  nearly 
eight  feet  square  at  its  base,  and  covered  with  hiero- 
glyphics. It  formerly  stood  at  Heliopolis,  a  few 
miles  from  Cairo,  and  bears  the  name  of  the  Pharaoh 
who  was  contemporary  with  Moses.  The  leader  of  the 
Israelites  doubtless  saw  it  as  it  stood  there.  It  was 
removed  to  Alexandria  to  ornament  the  temple  of  the 
Caesars  before  which  it  stood,  with  another  similar  to 
it  which  long  since  fell,  and  now  lies  near  by,  almost 
covered  with  earth.  Pompey's  Pillar,  or  more  prop- 
erly, the  Column  of  Diocletian,  which  stands  to  the 
opposite  or  western  side  of  the  city,  next  claimed  our 
attention.  This  conspicuous  monument  is  about  a 
hundred  feet  high,  standing  on  a  pedestal,  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  capital.  The  main  shaft  is  cylindrical, 
and  consists  of  a  single  stone,  nearly  thirty  feet  in 
circumference.  Both  of  these  columns  stand  at  a 
considerable  distance  south  of  the  present  city ;  the 
old  Alexandria,  with  its  gorgeous  temples,  palaces  and 
schools,  in  the  midst  of  which  they  once  stood,  having 


14:8  ALEXANDRIA CATACOMBS. 

passed  away,  and  left  nothing  else  remaining  but 
mounds  of  earth  and  heaps  of  rubbish.  These,  too, 
will  at  length  fall.  Around  the  base  of  Cleopatra's 
Needle  the  salt  waves  of  a  high,  sea  break  and  foam, 
and  it  is  by  their  action,  and  that  of  the  atmosphere, 
gradually  being  destroyed.  And  the  pedestal  of 
Pompey's  Pillar  seems  little  less  than  a  pile  of  loose 
stones,  ready  to  give  way  to  the  crushing  weight 
above.  From  a  Bedawin  tent,  near  this  monument, 
where  "  two  women  were  grinding  at  a  mill,"  came 
a  cry  for  buefoheesh,  a  word  we  shall  often  hear. 

One  gets  an  idea  of  the  greatness  and  populousness 
of  ancient  cities  by  the  extensive  tombs  or  places  of 
sepulture  which,  as  cities  of  the  dead,  hewn  in  rock, 
and  built  beneath  the  surface,  have  longer  escaped 
the  hand  of  destruction.  It  was  so  in  Rome ;  it  is  so 
in  Alexandria.  A  short  ride  from  Diocletian's  Pillar 
brought  us  to  the  slope  of  an  eminence  honeycombed 
with  houses  of  the  dead  of  long  ago.  "We  entered  and 
explored  a  number,  and  found  the  architecture  of  some 
of  them,  combining  fine  Grecian  characteristics  with 
embellishments  in  fresco,  whose  colors  are  still  bright 
and  clear.  We  subsequently  visited  other  catacombs 
along  the  sea-shore  beyond  Cleopatra's  Needle.  They 
were  like  the  first,  and  appeared  to  be  very  extensive ; 
but  numerous  Arabs  or  Egyptians  were  digging 
among  them  for  stone  for  building  materials,  or  to  burn 
for  lime.  Thus  the  tombs  prepared  with  so  much 
care  and  expense,  are  ruthlessly  broken  into,  the  sanc- 
tuaries of  the  dead  invaded,  and  their  bones  scattered 
with  the  sand  and  rubbish.  Several  fine  sarcophagi, 
sculptured  in  stone,  were  lying  about,  half-buried  in 


PALACE  OF  THE  PASHA.  149 

earth.  Somewhere  in  tin's  city  the  tomb  of  the  great 
Alexander  was  despoiled,  and  the  golden  sarcophagus 
containing  his  remains  was  stolen.  Such  is  the  sacri- 
legious cupidity  of  man.  In  these  catacombs  many  of 
the  early  Christians  doubtless  found  a  resting-place, 
and  in  times  of  persecution,  fled  hither  for  "freedom 
to  worship  God."  Perhaps  they  had  heard  the  gospel 
from  the  lips  of  John  whose  surname  was  Mark. 

There  is  nothing  attractive  about  the  buildings  in 
Alexandria.  Those  occupied  by  Europeans  for  busi- 
ness or  residence  have  an  air  of  substantiality  and 
comfort,  contrasting  strongly  with  the  mean  and  filthy 
shops  and  abodes  of  the  natives.  Our  donkey-riding 
brought  us  quite  to  the  northern  suburbs  of  the  city, 
where,  overlooking  the  sea,  stands  the  Palace  of  the 
Pasha.  We  were  permitted  to  ride  through  the  gate 
guarded  by  numerous  soldiers,  and  passing  along  a 
shady  and  pleasant  garden,  whose  summer-like  aspect 
had  a  refreshing  appearance,  we  stopped  in  front  of 
the  palace,  and  walking  over  a  mosaic  pavement,  we 
entered  the  building.  At  the  head  of  a  flight  of  stairs, 
we  were  required  to  leave  our  boots  and  shoes,  and 
put  on  slippers  which  were  brought  to  us.  We  were 
then  conducted  through  the  various  public  and  private 
rooms  of  the  palace.  They  were  furnished  partly  in 
Turkish  and  partly  in  European  style,  and  some  of  the 
rooms  and  chambers  were  both  tasty  and  elegant. 
The  rich  and  luxurious  divans  attracted  special  atten- 
tion. One  room  or  hall  contained  fine  portraits  of  the 
Pasha,  and  of  Mohammed  Ali  and  his  sons.  Adjoin- 
ing the  palace,  is  the  harem,  which  we  were  not  per- 


150       ALEXANDRIA. — BAZAARS — DEPARTURE. 

mitted  to  enter.  The  mosques  and  clmrclies  in  Alex- 
andria are  quite  inferior  edifices. 

Prominent  among  the  buildings  and  business  of  the 
city  are  the  various  bazaars,  Turkish  and  Arab,  located 
along  in  the  same  quarter  of  the  city,  yet  distinct  from 
each  other.  The  shops,  which  are  rude,  low  buildings, 
standing  close  together,  are  arranged  on  both  sides  of 
very  narrow  streets,  some  of  which  are  so  narrow  as 
not  to  allow  even  of  donkey-riding  through  them. 
The  merchant  or  shop-keeper  sits  cross-legged  in  the 
center  of  his  little  room,  where  he  can  reach,  without 
rising,  almost  every  article  in  his  shop.  His  tarbush 
or  turban  on  his  head,  and  smoking  his  long  pipe  or 
chibouk,  he  does  not  stir  or  ask  you  to  buy,  or  seem 
to  care  whether  you  purchase  or  not.  But  if  you  do 
buy,  he  will  try  to  get  a  good  price  for  his  wares, 
much  greater  than  he  would  expect  to  get  from  a  na- 
tive. Long  before  sundown  every  shop  is  closed. 

It  needed  but  two  days  to  see  everything  of  special 
interest  in  Alexandria.  The  railway  is  now  completed 
to  Cairo,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
But  a  railroad  in  Egypt  is  a  strange  innovation  upon 
all  previous  methods  of  locomotion.  It  is  a  great  con- 
venience, however,  and  since  the  overland  route  to 
India  has  become  such  a  thoroughfare,  it  is  a  neces- 
sity. But  it  was  a  singular  sight  to  see  swarthy  Egyp- 
tians in  Oriental  costume  in  charge  of  the  train.  The 
carriages  or  cars  were  part  of  them  made  in  England, 
and  part  in  America,  and  partake  of  the  characteris- 
tics of  each.  We  happened  to  go  with  the  passengers 
of  an  English  steamer  just  arrived,  and  who  were 


SIGHTS  BY  THE  WAY THE  PYRAMIDS.  151 

bound  to  India.     The  train  was  a  very  long  one,  and 
we  were  about  seven  hours  on  the  way. 

It  was  a  day  of  excitement  not  soon  to  be  forgotten  ; 
for  the  scenery,  and  various  objects  observed  by  the 
way,  were  both  novel  and  interesting.  We  passed 
along  Lake  Mareotis,  and  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
Nile,  now  with  palms  on  the  one  hand  and  fig-trees 
on  the  other ;  now  the  valley  or  prairie-like  fields 
stretching  off  a  long  distance,  covered  with  wheat, 
growing  in  green  luxuriance,  or  interspersed  here  and 
there  with  beans  or  some  other  vegetable  growth, 
crowned  with  blossoms  ;  and  iu  striking  contrast  with 
these  appeared  occasionally  most  wretched  and  filthy 
looking  mud  villages,  and  groups  of  half-naked  human 
beings,  of  all  ages  and  in  every  kind  of  grotesque  cos- 
tume. Some  time  before  we  reached  Cairo  we  caught 
sight  of  the  Pyramids,  and  felt,  in  our  wondering 
excitement,  like  shouting  over  the  grand  vision.  Old 
Cheops  and  its  companion,  which  stood  probably  in 
the  days  of  Abraham,  and  which  that  patriarch  saw, 
as  he  went  into  Egypt — which  met  the  gaze  of  Moses 
for  many  years,  and  which  Jacob  and  Joseph  had  often 
looked  upon — monuments  which  have  stood  through 
so  much  of  the  world's  history,  and  under  whose  shad- 
ows events  so  stupendous  have  transpired — the  Pyra- 
mids, of  which  we  had  heard  and  read  with  wonder 
from  our  childhood — to  actually  see  them  with  our 
own  eyes,  even  at  a  distance,  was  surely  an  era  in  our 
lives,  and  a  clay  long  to  stand  out  in  marked  promin- 
ence. Our  all-absorbed  attention  was  ere  long  turned 
to  numerous  domes  and  minarets  rising  out  of  groves 


152  CAIRO — PHASES  OF  EASTERN  LIFE. 

of  palms  and  sycamores,  and  soon  we  were  domiciled 
in  the  Hotel  D'Orient. 

Cairo,  the  Grand,  the  Magnificent,  the  Beautiful,  the 
Blessed,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  an  Orien- 
tal city.  All  varieties  of  Eastern  people,  and  phases 
of  Eastern  life,  may  here  be  seen  and  studied.  Look 
out  upon  the  Ezbekiah,  or  open  square,  bordered  by 
venerable  shade- trees,  green  even  in  mid-winter,  in 
front  of  the  Oriental  Hotel,  and  you  will  see  a  lively 
and  chequered  scene — a  picture  of  many  lights  and 
shades,  that  will  long  be  remembered.  Turbaned 
men  and  veiled  women,  boys  with  their  donkeys  to  let 
and  little  girls  accosting  you,  "  Ya,  Howagi,  buck- 
sheesh, "  beggars  of  course  ;  now  a  Frank  carriage 
rattles  off,  an  Arab  always  running  before  the  horses, 
and  shouting,  "  Riggolett !"  get  out  of  the  way  ;  and 
just  across  the  road,  is  a  native  group  or  circle,  in 
great  merriment,  engaged  in  some  litle  exhibition  of 
monkey  tricks,  or  a  miscellaneous  dance.  A  few  steps 
bring  you  to  the  bazaars,  where  all  sorts  of  knick- 
knacks  are  for  sale.  But  look  well  as  you  go  through 
the  narrow  streets  which  the  sunlight  never  visits ;  for 
the  buildings  so  sociably  near  on  the  ground,  as  they 
rise  up  story  after  story,  approach  still  nearer,  and  in 
some  places  almost,  or  quite,  touch  each  other,  where 
bright  eyes  are  peering  through  the  lattices.  Now  in 
passing  you  are  half  buried  in  the  huge  folds  of  an  old 
Turk's  dress,  and  you  emerge,  only  to  come  in  collision 
with  a  donkey  or  the  legs  of  its  rider  ;  and  then  you  see 
coming  a  huge  camel,  with  a  mountain  of  a  load  on 
its  hilly  back,  afhl  actually  no  room  is  left  for  you  to 
pass.  You  begin  to  think  of  being  generally  smashed 


A  WEDDING MOSQUE  OF  THE  CITADEL.  153 

up,  when  you  discover  at  the  wTay-side  a  little  niche 
just  deep  enough  to  shelter  you,  and  made  on  purpose 
for  such  an  emergency.  You  turn  into  another  street, 
and  meet  a  procession  of  thirty  or  forty  men,  women 
and  children  ;  those  in  front  have  some  rude  musical 
instruments  which  they  beat  or  blow,  and  along  about 
the  center,  you  see  three  females  walking  together, 
the  middle  one  quite  young  and  rather  gaily  attired  ; 
she  is  a  bride  going  to  the  residence  of  her  husband, 
who  has  never  yet  seen  her  face.  This  is  a  wedding 
in  Cairo. 

I  visited  but  two  or  three  mosques,  as  they  seem 
not  to  have  any  very  special  attractions.  The  Mosque 
of  the  Citadel,  however,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Cairo, 
and  is  richly  ornamented,  having  splendid  chande- 
liers and  stained  windows,  which  the  Moslems  gener- 
ally discard.  Before  entering  the  square  leading  to 
the  mosque,  we  had  to  exchange  our  boots  and  shoes 
for  rag-slippers.  In  this  square  is  the  Well  of  Joseph, 
said  to  have  been  dug  by  the  ancient  Egyptians.  Here, 
too,  for  this  square  is  within  the  citadel,  the  ill-fated 
Mamelukes  were  massacred  by  order  of  Mohammed 
Ali,  who,  under  the  cover  of  friendship,  enticed  them 
within  the  walls.  Their  power  was  thus  brought  to  a 
bloody  termination.  In  the  mosque  were  a  few  of  the 
faithful  at  prayer.  With  their  faces  towards  Mecca, 
they  frequently  dropped  on  their  knees,  and  then 
bowed  their  faces  to  the  floor,  rising  to  their  feet  again, 
and  going  often  through  the  same  forms,  uttering  at 
intervals  audible  words  of  prayer.  The  minarets  of 
this  mosque  are  lofty  and  beautiful,  and  are  seen  at  a 
great  distance,  as  it  stands  on  the  highest  ground  in 
7* 


154:   CAIKO — MOSQUE  OF  AMKIi DANCING   DERVISHES. 

the  city.     The  view  also  from  the  ramparts  of  the  cita- 
del is  wide  and  interesting. 

The  Mosque  of  Amer  is  a  thousand  years  old,  the 
oldest,  I  believe,  in  Egypt.  It  occupies  a  large  space 
of  ground  in  Old  Cairo,  but  has  a  dilapidated  and 
deserted  appearance.  There  is  a  tradition  that  when 
this  building  falls  the  Moslem  power  will  wane.  If 
this  be  true,  the  downfall  of  this  strange  power  is  not 
far  distant;  for  portions  of  the  old  building  have 
already  tumbled  down,  and  the  rest  seems  rapidly 
tending  to  the  same  prostrate  condition.  Let  it  go. 
Two  stone  pillars,  standing  near  together  on  the  same 
pedestal,  have  been  regarded  as  a  sort  of  test  of  salva- 
tion. If  one  can  pass  between  them,  he  may  hope  to 
enter  the  paradise  of  the  faithful ;  but  if  he  has  de- 
voted himself  so  much  to  the  good  things  of  this  life, 
as  not  to  be  able  to  pass  this  test,  he  may  not  expect 
entrance  to  the  Prophet's  heaven.  When  I  looked  at 
the  pillars,  or  rather  the  space  between  them,  as  our 
party  were  passing  through,  one  after  another,  I 
thought  my  own  chances  were  small,  with  such  a  test; 
for  a  taste  of  Egypt's  flesh-pots,  to  say  nothing  of  leeks 
and  onions,  has  rather  increased  my  sizable  propor- 
tions, so  that  I  found  it  impossible  to  squeeze  myself 
through,  as  did  also  one  other  of  our  large  party. 

On  the  afternoon  of  a  Friday,  the  Moslem  Sabbath, 
we  went  almost  down  to  Old  Cairo  to  witness  the  per- 
formances of  the  Dancing  Dervishes.  We  entered  a 
plain  room,  where  a  few  persons  were  seated  on  sheep- 
skins arranged  on  the  floor  in  a  sort  of  semicircle. 
Others  came  in  from  time  to  time,  till  there  were 
about  forty  in  all.  Some  of  them  began  to  chant  or 


SHOOBRA  GARDENS  AND  P ALACK.  155 

sing,  sometimes  one,  and  sometimes  several,  or  all 
together.  Some  of  them  knelt,  and  bowed,  and  prayed 
like  those  described  above.  But  the  principal  per- 
formance consisted  in  their  all  standing  up  in  a  cir- 
cle, with  a  leader  in  the  center,  whose  motions  and 
sounds  they  imitated.  They  all  bowed  low,  and  lifted 
their  bodies  erect,  and  continued  to  bow  and  raise 
themselves,  and  at  each  lifting  of  the  head,  all  uttered 
a  deep  guttural  sound  or  suppressed  howl.  Their  mo- 
tions grew  more  rapid,  and  their  utterances  louder  as 
the  performance  continued.  The  Egyptians  usually 
shave  their  heads,  but  several  of  these  dervishes  had 
very  long  hair,  and  after  they  got  well  under  way  in. 
the  bowing  process,  one  of  the  leaders  pulled  off  the 
tarbushes  of  such,  and  then  their  hair  flew  over  and 
back  in  wild  and  bushy  profuseness,  adding  not  a  little 
to  the  strange  and  ridiculous  picturesqueness  of  the 
scene.  They  continued  this  performance  an  hour  at 
a  time,  till  it  seemed  impossible  that  they  could 
endure  it  any  longer.  They  evidently  became  greatly 
excited,  and  one  of  them  actually  fell  into  an  epileptic 
fit  with  convulsions,  and  lay  for  some  time  insensible 
on  the  floor. 

A  pleasant  ride  of  four  or  five  miles  northward 
along  the  Nile,  and  over  a  fine  thoroughfare,  lined  by 
shady  lebbek-trees,  and  where  we  met  numerous  trains 
of  loaded  asses  and  camels,  reminding  us  of  the  Ish- 
maelites  entering  Egypt  with  the  captive  Joseph- 
brought  us  to  the  Shoobra  gardens  and  a  palace  of 
the  Viceroy.  The  extensive  gardens  are  threaded  by 
various  walks  in  excellent  order,  and  the  numerous 
orange  and  lemon- trees,  filled  with  fruit,  and  the  odor 


156  CAIRO PETRIFIED  FOREST. 

of  geraniums  and  full-blown  roses,  rendered  our  walk 
through  them  very  agreeable.  How  unlike  the  latter 
part  of  January  at  home  !  The  palace-court  in  these 
gardens  contains  an  immense  marble  fountain  or  basin, 
finely  sculptured  from  Carrara  marble  by  Italian 
artists,  who  have  shown  their  skill  in  representing 
various  kinds  of  fish  in  bas-relief  on  the  sides  of  the 
fountain. 

Yery  different  scenery  we  found  a  day  or  two  after, 
in  an  excursion  to  the  Petrified  Forest,  six  or  seven 
miles  east  of  Cairo.  Our  way,  after  leaving  the  city, 
and  the  Tombs  of  the  Caliphs,  was  over  a  broad  and 
dreary  desert,  no  tree  or  dwelling  relieving  the  vast 
and  arid  desolation.  At  length  we  reached  something 
of  an  eminence — the  border  of  the  Mokattam  hills — 
covered  with  small,  loose  and  chip-like  stones,  and  our 
guides  told  us  this  was  the  forest.  We  had  thought 
of  standing  or  at  least  prostrate  trees,  in  a  state  of 
petrifaction ;  but  scarcely  a  stone  around  us  would 
measure  a  foot  in  any  direction.  They  were,  however, 
certainly  petrifactions  of  wood,  and  as  such,  a  curios- 
ity, a  few  specimens  of  which  we  gathered  from  our 
examinations. 

I  made  a  very  pleasant  excursion  with  a  friend  to 
the  ruins  of  lieliopolis,  or  the  City  of  On.  It  was  in 
a  north-easterly  direction,  on  the  border  of  the  land  of 
Goshen,  and  it  took  our  nimble  donkeys  about  two 
hours  to  bear  us  thither.  We  passed  along  by  green 
fields  of  waving  wheat  and  luxuriant  clover,  with  here 
and  there  fig-trees,  tamarisks  and  acacias. 

Just  before  reaching  the  site  of  the  ancient  city,  we 
turned  into  a  garden,  where  was  a  very  old  and  large 


HELIOPOL1S — ITS  OLD  OBELISK.  157 

sycamore  tree,  on  which  many  names  and  dates  were 
cut.  There  is  a  tradition  that  Mary  and  Joseph,  witli 
the  infant  Jesus,  stopped  to  rest  here,  in  their  flight  into 
Egypt.  We  picked  a  few  leaves  from  the  tree  and 
went  on. 

We  found  nothing  of  Heliopolis  but  old  earthen 
mounds  and  a  few  vestiges  of  the  once  splendid  Tem- 
ple of  the  Sun.  There  were  garden-like  patches  under 
cultivation  among  these  artificial  hillocks,  the  Foun- 
tain of  the  Sun  is  a  pool  fringed  about  with  shrub- 
bery. But  the  most  conspicuous  relic  is  a  fine  obelisk, 
standing  in  its  original  position,  probably  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  temple;  and  there  it  has  stood  near  four 
thousand  years,  being,  as  is  supposed,  the  oldest  of  its 
kind  in  Egypt.  It  often  met  the  eye  of  Joseph,  whose 
father-in-law  was  a  priest  of  the  temple.  Moses  passed 
it  as  he  went  to  his  studies.  Herodotus  speaks  of 
it,  and  Plato  meditated  at  its  base.  Lone  monument 
of  the  mighty  Past ! 


XIII. 

f ralr  of  Ites-f  ifc  m  %  pit 

WHILE  in  Cairo  and  vicinity,  one  is  impressed  with  a, 
feeling  of  deep  interest  in  being  in  the  midst  of  local- 
ities with  which  is  associated  so  much  of  Bible  his- 
tory* Abraham  and  Sarah  have  been  here.  I  have 
looked  upon  hill,  vale  and  river,  if  not  Pyramid,  that 
their  eyes  once  s^w.  I  visited  the  spot  where  tradition 
says  the  infant  Moses  was  found  by  Pharaoh-s  daugh- 
ter in  the  ark  of  bulrushes  among  the  flags  of  the 
Nile.  It  was  the  margin  of  the  beautiful  island  of 
Rhoda,  which  furnished  a  charming  site  for  a  royal 
palace.  Near  by  is  the  Kilometer,  an  ancient  con- 
trivance for  marking  the  daily  height  and  rise  of  the 
water  in  the  river.  Over  this  land  Joseph  ruled  as  a 
princely  Viceroy.  He  had  a  home,  perhaps,  at  On,  or 
Heliopolis,  just  over  there  on  the  borders  of  Goshen, 
the  land  that  was  subsequently  given  to  his  father  and 
his  brethren.  They  grew  up  in  Egypt,  a  strong  and 
mighty  people ;  but  under  kings  that  knew  not 
Joseph,  they  were  sorely  oppressed,  being  compelled 
to  make  brick,  just  as  I  have  seen  menials  making 
brick  now,  of  the  mud  of  the  river  mingled  with 
straw.  Here  the  voice  of  God  was' heard  speaking  to 
Moses  and  to  Pharaoh,  for  the  deliverance  of  his  cap- 
tive people.  Here  that  succession  of  mighty  miracles 


AMERICAN   MISSION  ARIES.  159 

was  wrought,  which  confounded  the  gods  of  Egypt,  and 
at  length  broke  the  power  of  the  oppressor.  Here  the 
angel  of  death  passed  over  the  blood-sprinkled  doors 
of  the  dwellings  of  the  children  of  Israel,  but  entered 
those  of  the  Egyptians,  and  laid  prostrate  and  lifeless 
the  first-born  in  every  house.  Here  was  the  most 
wonderful  movement  the  world  ever  saw — the  great 
exodus  and  march  to  the  Red  Sea,  through  the  long 
wilderness,  and  to  the  promised  Canaan.  Here,  in 
after  years,  Jeremiah  prophesied  and  wept.  And  at 
length,  a  fugitive  family  came  hither,  Joseph  and 
Mary,  from  Judea,  bringing  the  Holy  Child,  born  in 
Bethlehem,  but  whose  life  the  wicked  Herod  sought. 
Beneath  a  dingy  Coptic  church  in  Old  Cairo,  I  looked 
into  a  grotto  where  it  is  affirmed  the  Infant  Saviour 
was  concealed. 

What  great  events  have  here  transpired !  What 
remarkable  personages  have  here  lived,  have  looked 
on  yonder  Mokattam  hills,  have  walked  on  the  banks 
of  this  river,  and  have  gone  to  rest  in  these  tombs  of 
rock  and  sand  !  Customs  that  prevailed  three  thous- 
and years  ago  are  still  continued,  and  I  am  often 
reminded,  by  what  I  see,  of  things  recorded  in  the 
Bible.  Calling  one  day  on  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnet,  an 
American  missionary  in  Cairo,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  there  also  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lansing,  American 
missionary  resident  at  Alexandria,  who,  as  he  came 
into  the  room,  saw  there  his  old  Arabic  teacher,  and 
their  friendly  salutation  was  falling  upon  each  other's 
necks,  reminding  me  at  once  of  the  meeting  here  of 
Joseph  with  his  brethren  and  father.  I  enjoyed  pleas- 
ant interviews  with  the  above  faithful  missionaries, 


160       DRAGOMAN  ENGAGED — ON  THE  NILE. 

and  was  invited  to  preach  for  the  former,  but  was  pre- 
vented from  doing  so  by  a  temporary  illness — a  severe 
attack  with  high  fever — which  kept  me  two  or  three 
days  in  bed.  The  sympathy  and  kind  attentions  of 
my  traveling  associates,  including  the  excellent  medi- 
cal care  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Adams,  of  New  York,  are  grate- 
fully remembered.  During  this  time  an  American 
traveler  from  Philadelphia  died  at  our  hotel.  He  had 
lately  come  from  Palestine,  and  had  there  contracted 
the  Syrian  fever.  He  had  left  his  wife  and  children  in 
Geneva  to  await  his  return.  It  was  a  sad  case,  and 
excited  much  sympathy  among  all. 

At  length,  after  considerable  parleying  and  nego- 
ciating,  our  contract  and  arrangements  were  made  for 
a  trip  up  the  Nile,  and  a  survey  of  some  of  the  grand 
and  wonderful  ruins  of  Upper  Egypt.  We  made 
Thebes  the  limit,  distant  nearly  five  hundred  miles, 
reserving  the  privilege  of  going  further  if  time  would 
permit.  Our  dragoman  is  Achmet  Saidi,  a  shrewd 
Egyptian,  who  has  taken  many  Americans  up  the 
Nile,  and  among  them  Bayard  Taylor.  He  takes  us 
up  and  back  for  a  stipulated  sum,  furnishes  boats  and 
board,  pays  all  expenses  by  the  way,  and  allows  us  a 
certain  number  of  days  for  sight-seeing. 

On  the  evening  of  January  25th,  our  party  of  twelve 
Americans,  who  had  come  on  together  from  Naples, 
took  possession  of  our  two  Nile  boats  at  Boulak,  the 
landing  for  Cairo.  The  next  forenoon  we  began  to 
sail  with  a  favoring  breeze,  and  for  two  days  those 
grand  old  monuments,  the  Pyramids,  were  in  sight, 
scattered  along  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  and  on  the 


OTJK   PARTY — FINE    CLIMATE.  161 

border  of  the  Lybian  desert.  We  reserved  our  visit 
to  them  until  our  return. 

Our  pleasant  party  consists  of  eight  gentlemen  and 
four  ladies.  Among  them  are  four  ministers,  three 
Baptist  and  one  Dutch  Reformed,  also  a  Baptist  Dea- 
con and  a  Presbyterian  Elder.  There  are  six  on  each 
boat,  and  we  have  daily  worship  as  in  a  family,  and 
on  Sundays  we  all  get  together  on  one  of  the  boats 
and  have  a  sermon  or  a  social  prayer  and  conference 
meeting.  These  services  are  occasions  of  deep  and 
tearful  interest,  strongly  reminding  us  of  similar  meet- 
ings at  home.  We  live  very  much  as  wre  should  at 
a  good  hotel,  and  are  free  from  care,  with  ample  op- 
portunity to  read  and  write,  to  observe  the  sights 
and  scenes  along  the  valley,  to  walk  and  hunt  on 
shore,  and  during  the  days  reserved  for  the  purpose, 
to  visit  the  magnificent  old  monuments,  tombs  and 
temples  found  near  the  banks  of  the  river.  The 
weather,  with  cool  mornings,  is  June-like  and  delight- 
ful. But  our  progress  is  often  very  slow,  for  the  crew 
have  to  track  or  tow  the  boats  when  we  cannot  sail 
with  the  wind.  We  were  about  three  weeks  in  going 
to  Thebes. 

Life  on  the  Nile,  in  the  mild  climate,  under  the 
clear  skies,  amidst  the  green  fields,  the  sandy  plains, 
the  barren  hills,  the  strange  scenes  and  wonderful  ruins 
of  Egypt,  is  a  life  at  once  dreamy,  luxurious  and  full 
of  interest.  The  air  is  dry  and  sufficiently  bracing, 
and  invalids  usually  find  great  benefit  from  a  trip  on 
the  river.  It  is  the  place  to  possess  and  enjoy  an  ex- 
cellent appetite,  judging  from  our  own  party.  Yet  I 


162  FAMOUS    RIVER RICHNESS    OF   SOIL. 

imagine  after  five  or  six   weeks,   it   must   become  a 
somewhat  tiresome  and  monotonous  experience. 

It  is  certainly  interesting  to  be  floating  on  such  a 
river  as  the  Nile,  often  alluded  to  in  the  Bible,  once 
miraculously  turned  to  blood,  and  in  whose  valley,  and 
along  whose  banks,  in  long  ages  past,  transpired  events 
so  stupendous  and  astonishing.  Flowing  down  from 
hidden  fountains  and  snowy  summits  far  away  in  the 
unknown  regions  of  Central  Africa,  its  waters  roll  by 
day,  and  murmur  in  the  moonlight,  the  same  as  when 
they  reflected  the  glory  of  the  Pharaohs,  more  than 
three  thousand  years  ago.  Egypt  had  a  history,  grand 
and  thrilling,  before  books,  or  parchments,  or  written 
languages  were  known.  Much  of  that  history  is 
sealed ;  some  of  it  is  shadowed  forth  in  the  curious 
hieroglyphics  that  cover  those  magnificent  ruins  and 
monuments  that  are  the  wonder  of  the  world.  If  the 
Nile  could  tell  us  all  it  has  witnessed — if  it  could  sing 
of  the  deeds  of  old,  the  triumph  of  arts  and  arms 
here — how  thrilling  would  be  the  story,  how  sublime 
the  epic  !  Before  the  Pentateuch  was  written,  before 
the  Law  was  given  on  Mount  Sinai,  there  stood  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile  cities,  temples  and  tombs,  which,  in 
vastness  and  magnificence,  have  never  yet  been  sur- 
passed. How  different  is  the  Egypt  of  to-day  from 
the  Egypt  of  the  Pharaohs  and  the  Ptolemys ! 

In  ascending  the  river,  one  is  struck  with  the  rich- 
ness and  vast  capabilities  of  the  soil.  The  vale  is  but 
a  few  miles  in  width,  bounded  by  the  Lybian  desert 
on  the  west,  and  the  Arabian  on  the  east,  the  barren 
sands,  or  rocky,  desolate  bluffs,  often  approaching 
quite  near  to  the  river  margin  ;  while^gain,  the  fertile 


PRODUCTIONS — IRRIGATION.  163 

plain,  covered  with  luxuriant  crops,  extends  back  for 
a  considerable  distance.  No  soil  can  be  more  produc- 
tive ;  it  needs  no  artificial  enriching;  the  annual  over- 
flow of  the  river,  somewhere  from  August  to  October, 
spreads  over  it  a  deposit  more  valuable  than  gold. 
How  wonderful  this  airangement  of  Providence,  in  a 
country  where  rain  is  never  or  rarely  known.  If  a 
year  pass  without  this  overflowing,  great  scarcity  or  a 
famine  is  the  result. 

It  is  a  beautiful  sight  to  look  on  these  extensive 
fields  of  wheat,  of  a  deep  green  color,  and  a  luxuriant 
growth,  the  grain,  even  in  mid-winter,  two  feet  high. 
Large  fields,  also,  of  beans,  peas,  onions,  mustard  and 
tobacco,  meet  the  eye,  some  of  them  rejoicing  in  their 
crowns  of  bloom.  Doura,  or  Indian  corn,  is  raised  in 
abundance,  its  tall  stalks  serving  for  firewood  and 
building  materials. 

One  of  the  more  common  sights  attracting  the  eye 
of  the  traveler  on  the  Nile,  is  the  process  of  irrigation, 
or  methods  by  which  the  water  of  the  river  is  raised 
up,  and  distributed  over  the  fields.  Near  Cairo,  and 
also  near  Thebes,  it  is  done  by  water-wheels,  to  which 
leathern  buckets  are  attached,  which  fill  as  the  wheel 
touches  the  river,  and  are  emptied  into  a  trough  at 
the  top.  These  wheels  are  turned  by  oxen  or  buffa- 
loes, animals  that  only  slightly  resemble  the  wild  buf- 
falo of  our  country,  and  yet  are  quite  different,  except 
in  size,  from  the  ordinary  ox.  I  first  saw  them  in 
Rome,  and  have  observed  them  quite  frequently  since. 
Another  method  of  raising  water,  to  a  small  height,  is 
that  where  two  men  stand  facing  each  other,  with  the 
trench  containing  the  water  to  be  raised  between  them, 


164  SCENERY    ALONG   THE   NILE. 

into  which  they  drop  a  leathern  basket  or  bucket 
attached  to  each  of  their  hands  by  a  rope,  and  as  it 
fills  at  once,  they  lift  it  by  stretching  the  ropes  to  a 
horizontal  position,  and  empty  it  by  slackening  the 
rope  on  the  side  over  which  the  water  is  poured.  In 
this  way  a  large  quantity  of  water  is  easily  and  quickly 
raised.  But  the  more  common  instrument  is  the  shad- 
oof, which  closely  resembles  the  old-fashioned  well- 
sweep  and  pole,  though  much  smaller,  except  the 
leathern  bucket  or  basket,  while  the  weight  is  com- 
posed of  a  large  piece  of  dry  Nile  mud.  It  usually 
takes  four  of  these  instruments  to  raise  the  water  from 
the  river  to  the  top  of  the  bank,  a  distance  of 
thirty  or  forty  feet.  One  raises  it  from  the  river's 
edge,  and  pours  it  into  a  trench  above  him,  where 
another  shadoof  takes  it,  and  so  on  to  the  top,  each 
person  raising  it  from  eight  to  ten  feet.  You  see  in  a 
day  sometimes  a  hundred  of  these  instruments  in  oper- 
ation, while  the  entire  clothing  of  each  man  working 
them  would  not  comprise  a  yard  of  cotton  cloth. 

The  water  runs  off  into  the  fields  and  artificial 
channels,  which,  by  being  indefinitely  multiplied, 
give  it  a  wide  distribution.  Any  of  these  little  chan- 
nels, as  occasion  requires,  may  be  closed  or  opened  by 
moving  the  earth  with  the  foot.  Hence  the  allusion 
in  Deut.  xi.  10 — "  For  the  land,  whither  thou  goest 
in  to  possess  it,  is  not  as  the  land  of  Eygpt,  from 
whence  ye  came  out,  where  thou  so  west  thy  seed,  and 
waterest  it  with  \hyfoot,  as  a  garden  of  herbs." 

The  scenery  along  the  Nile  is  peculiar;  the  low 
ranges  of  hills  and  bordering  deserts,  without  a  sol- 
itary tree  or  spire  of  grass,  contrast  strongly  with  the 


NATIVE    VILLAGES STILLNESS.  165 

profuse  luxuriance  and  grateful  verdure  of  the  valley, 
with  its  occasional  clusters  of  stately  and  graceful 
palm  trees,  which  sometimes,  also,  for  a  long  distance 
stand  in  beautiful  lines  along  the  river's  bank.  You 
look  upon  these  glorious  trees,  now  and  then  inter- 
spersed with  the  Dom,  or  branching  palm,  with  de- 
lighted and  unwearied  admiration.  Flowers  of  various 
kinds  may  be  gathered,  and  the  cotton  and  castor  oil 
plants  are  often  observed.  Pigeons,  ducks  and  wild 
geese  are  very  abundant.  The  ibis  and  pelican  are 
frequently  seen,  and  sometimes  crocodiles. 

Prominent  along  the  river  banks,  on  slight  elevations 
and  generally  embowered  in  groves  of  palm,  are  the 
numerous  villages,  and  towns  of  the  natives.  There 
are  no  isolated  dwellings,  and  these  villages,  at  a 
distance,  have  quite  a  picturesque  appearance.  But 
enter  them,  and  walk  through  their  narrow,  dusty 
streets,  and  you  find  them  most  filthy  and  repulsive. 
The  buildings  or  huts  are  generally  made  of  mud 
and  corn-stalks,  often  without  roof,  floor  or  furniture. 
The  half-naked  inhabitants  are  lying  about  in  the  sun 
or  gathering  around  you  with  eager  curiosity.  In  the 
larger  towns,  where  a  Governor  lives,  you  see  build- 
ings of  unburnt  brick,  and  a  f$w  covered  with  white 
stucco,  or  plaster. 

I  have  often  observed,  under  these  clear  skies  and 
still  atmosphere,  a  profound  silence  brooding  over  all 
the  landscape.  No  "  busy  hum  of  men,"  no  rustling 
of  leaves,  no  solemn  music  of  forest,  no  cascade's  song, 
not  a  sloping  field  of  wheat  moving  in  the  breeze, 
not  a  cottage  or  a  fence  to  arrest  the  long  continuity 
of  vision,  or  break  the  deep  spell  of  universal  stillness. 


166  CLEAR  SKIES — SAND-STOKMS. 

The  objects  that  meet  your  eye  look  like  pictures. 
Over  the  level  field  of  observation,  you  see  a  few 
Arabs  walking  in  their  long  robes,  or  riding  their 
donkeys  and  camels,  and  they  stand  distinctly  and 
boldly  out  from  a  back-ground  of  cloudless  sky. 
What  beautiful  heavens  are  over  us  by  day ;  what 
gloriously  bright  stars  and  blessed  moon  at  night !  Aye, 
in  this  far  and  strange  land,  those  celestial  orbs  re- 
main the  same  as  when  gazed  upon  in  the  presence  of 
dear  ones  at  home.  Pleasant  thought !  And  He  who 
telleth  their  numbers,  and  calleth  them  all  by  their 
names,  is  here  and  there,  and  holding  over  us  the  ban- 
ner of  His  love. 

Sometimes,  for  two  or  three  days  together,  a  strong 
wind  from  the  north  or  northwest,  sweeping  over  the 
Lybian  desert,  fills  all  the  air  with  fine  sand,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  heavens,  with  the  dust-clouds  in 
the  horizon,  obscuring  the  sun,  is  that  of  a  prevailing 
storm.  You  would  say  there  is  rain  or  hail  yonder, 
but  it  is  only  a  sand  storm,  unpleasant  indeed,  and  so 
severe,  at  times,  as  to  prevent  sailing  on  the  river. 
Occasionally  an  eddying  wind  raises  a  column  of  sand 
like  a  water  spout,  far  up  into  the  air.  We  had  rain 
in  Alexandria,  a  little  in  Cairo,  and  a  few  drops  fell 
as  we  were  sailing  in  view  of  the  grand  old  pyramids 
near  the  site  of  ancient  Memphis,  but  since  then  we 
have  had  absolutely  none ;  and  I  must  confess  to  a 
pleasure  in  witnessing  a  succession  of  bright  days  and 
glorious  risings  and  settings  of  the  day-king,  with  de- 
licious moonlight  evenings  of  etherial  beauty  and  splen- 
dor. 
Besides  the  great  variety  of  boats  one  sees  on  the  Nile, 


GIRLS    AT    THE    KIVEK THE    NATIVES.  167 

and  sometimes  hailing  the  American  flag  and  exchan- 
ging salutations  with  travelers  from  our  own  land,  a 
very  frequent  sight  is  a  group  of  native  women  or 
girls,  robed  in  their  single  loose  garment  of  blue  cot- 
ton, coming  down  to  the  river,  to  till  their  large  ear- 
then jars  with  the  somewhat  turbid  but  delicious 
water  of  the  Nile.  They  walk  a  little  way  into  the 
river,  wash  their  hands  and  feet,  fill  their  jars,  lift 
the  enormous  weight  to  their  heads,  where  they  bal- 
ance and  bear  it  quite  a  distance  to  the  village.  The 
women  are  the  burden-bearers  in  this  and  all  barbarian 
or  Mohammedan  countries,  and  perhaps  this  is  a  reason 
for  their  general  ugliness  in  feature  and  expression. 
There  are  some  exceptions  ;  but  I  have  nowhere  seen 
the  beauty  which  some  travelers  observe  in  the 
Egyptian  females.  In  this  respect  they  are  inferior  to 
the  men,  some  of  whom  have  tine  forms  and  features, 
which  their  flowing  robes  and  turbans  set  off  to  ad- 
vantage. But  one's  pity  is  deeply  excited  for  all 
classes  of  these  natives,  as  he  sees  how  miserable  are 
their  habitations,  how  poorly  they  fare,  how  filthy 
their  habits  are,  and  how  destitute  they  are  of  in- 
telligence or  comfort.  Most  of  them  are  the  blind 
adherents  of  the  False  Prophet,  without  any  appre- 
hension of  the  true  method  of  salvation.  There  are 
Coptic  Christians  here  and  there,  descendants  of  the  an- 
cient Eygptians,  and  better  looking  than  the  Arabs,  but 
how  much  of  true  religion  they  possess,  I  have  not  the 
means  of  knowing.  The  fellaheen,  or  natives,  seem 
to  be  well  disposed,  inoffensive  and  indolent.  They 
have  little  ambition  or  incentive  to  better  their  con- 


168          OUR  CKEW THEtR  DEVOTIONS. 

dition,  as  their  taxes  are  heavy,  and  their  wages  al- 
most nothing. 

Our  crew  number  about  twelve  for  each  boat. 
They  get  higher  wages  than  those  who  till  or  irrigate 
the  soil  ;  and  yet  I  am  told  they  each  receive  but 
about  twelve  cents  a  day  and  board  themselves.  They 
often  work  night  and  day,  towing  and  poling  the  boat, 
and  when  it  gets  aground  in  sailing,  as  it  often  does, 
they  jump  into  the  water  up  to  their  arms  and  ap- 
ply their  backs  to  the  side  of  the  boat  and  push  and 
grunt  it  off  the  sand  bar.  When  there  is  no  wind  or  a 
head-wind,  they  tow  the  boat  with  a  very  long  cable 
to  which  they  attach  themselves  with  a  sort  of  rope 
harness,  singing  as  they  track  along  the  shore :  "  Hay 
halee  saw."  In  the  scanty  clothing  they  wear  they 
lie  down  to  sleep  on  the  deck,  in  the  hold,  or  on  the 
sand,  if  the  boat  stop  by  the  shore.  They  are  nearly  all 
Mohammedans,  and  some  of  them  are  quite  devout, 
observing  the  hours  of  prayer  by  washing  their  hands 
and  feet  and  prostrating  themselves  on  the  deck, 
bowing  towards  Mecca  and  praying  aloud,  not  fearing 
or  caring  for  those  about  them.  Captain  Said,  the 
helmsman  Hassan,  and  the  boatswain  old  Abdallah  are 
often  at  their  devotions,  and  sometimes  we  hear  their 
voices  in  prayer  before  day-dawn.  Noticing  that  our 
dragoman  did  not  pray,  we  inquired,  "Are  you  not 
a  Mussulman ?  "I  am,  thank  God."  "Does  not  the 
Koran  require  you  to  pray  as  these  others  ?  "  Yes,  but 
I  did  up  my  praying  for  the  trip  before  I  left  home." 
Our  cook  is  a  Nubian,  black  as  night,  and  he  performs 
his  duties  most  admirably.  Our  table-waiter,  Mah- 
moud,  is  a  good  natured  young  Egyptian,  and  is  very 


GHAWAZEE,    OR    DANCING    GI11LS. 


THEIR   FARE A   FESTIVAL — GHAWAZEE.  169 

proud  of  being  able  to  speak  a  few  words  of  French. 
Our  crew  live  in  a  simple  and  primitive  manner. 
They  have  a  pile  of  bread  on  the  rear  deck,  baked 
in  small  loaves  or  cakes,  sufficient  to  last  them  two 
weeks  or  more.  They  break  up  some  of  it  in  a  wood- 
en bowl,  moisten  it  with  water,  and  then  pour  over  it 
a  thin  broth  of  lentils.  They  gather  around  it  in  a 
circle  on  the  floor  and  eat  it  from  the  dish  with  their 
fingers.  They  rarely  eat  anything  else  except  a  sort 
of  clover,  a  few  onions,  and  a  little  sugar  cane,  which 
they  pick  up  along  the  shore.  Diseases  of  the  eyes 
are  exceedingly  common,  and  full  half  of  the  males 
have  purposely  had  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand 
cut  off  to  avoid  conscription,  as  they  have  a  horror  of 
the  army.  The  women  are  fond  of  ornaments,  and 
you  frequently  observe  rude  bracelets  on  their  arms, 
rings  on  their  fingers,  in  their  ears,  and  sometimes  in 
their  noses,  and  if  they  are  able,  a  wreath  of  silver 
coins  around  their  heads. 

Stopping  a  few  hours  at  a  considerable  town,  we 
found  an  annual  festival  of  some  sort,  of  fifteen  days' 
continuance,  in  progress.  The  bazaars  and  market 
places  were  crowded,  and  various  games,  exhibitions, 
and  ceremonies  were  going  on.  In  several  thronged 
cafes  two  or  three  of  the  Ghawazee,  or  dancing  girls, 
immodest  in  dress  and  manners,  were  tripping  to  rude 
music,  for  the  admiration  of  the  crowd.  In  the  open 
air,  several  groups  of  men  were  sitting  in  circles,  and 
some  one  either  chanting  or  addressing  something  to 
them  ;  and  I  observed  one  large  circle,  standing  and 
bowing  and  howling,  precisely  like  the  Dervishes 
alreadv  described. 

8 


170  A    FUNEKAL AT   THEBES A    QUAEKEL.. 

While  passing  through  one  of  the  bazaars,  I  met  a- 
funeral  procession  of  forty  or  fifty  persons.  Several 
men,  carrying  rude  banners,  were  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  children  crying ;  then  the  corpse  in  a  wooden 
box,  with  a  shelving  roof-like  top,  borne  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  men,  preceding  a  considerable  company  of  wo- 
rnen  loudly  wailing  with  the  others. 

We  reached  Thebes  on  the  fifteenth  of  February, 
finding  the  weather  oppressively  hot  during  the  time 
that  we  remained  there.  A  day  or  two  before  our 
arrival,  a  falling  out  between  the  reis  or  captain  and 
the  helmsman,  furnished  a  striking  exhibition  of  angry 
temper.  First  they  expended  their  wrath  in  a  stormy 
deluge  of  loud  words,  the  venerable  and  dignified  Arab 
Hassan  evidently  gaining  the  victory  in  argument 
over  the  young  and  sturdy  Egyptian  Said.  Then  they 
rushed  upon  each  other,  but  were  prevented  from 
coming  to  blows  by  the  interference  of  others.  The 
vanquished  captain  in  a  terrible  rage,  rent  his  only 
garment  from  top  to  bottom,  sprang  ashore,  picked  up 
a  handful  of  dust  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and  lay  down 
on  the  bank,  frothing  at  the  mouth  and  quivering  with 
passion.  It  was  a  fearful  manifestation  of  anger.  Has- 
san returned  to  his  place  at  the  helm,  and  the  boat 
went  on,  leaving  the  reis,  who  soon  recovered  from 
his  wrath,  and  overtaking  the  boat,  quietly  resumed 
his  usual  position. 


XIV. 

its  tajjlts  anb  toite— goton  %  giter. 

THEBES  must  have  been  the  greatest  and  most  mag- 
nificent city  in  Egypt.  Almost  as  old  as  the  flood, 
situated  in  a  fertile  valley,  where  it  expanded  to  a  vast 
and  splendid  amphitheater,  and  adorning  both  banks  of 
the  Nile,  it  was  in  extent,  wealth,  and  architectural 
glory,  the  flower  and  crown  of  ancient  civilization. 
Nearly  a  thousand  years  before  Christ,  Homer  sang  of 
its  hundred  gates,  and  some  of  the  Sacred  Prophets 
speak  of  it  as  being  "  populous,"  or  containing  a 
"  multitude."  No  one  can  visit  its  present  unparalleled 
ruins,  or  linger  among  the  gorgeous  mausoleums  of  its 
kings  and  princes,  without  being  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  its  former  vastness  and  grandeur.  The 
contrast  suggested  by  the  present  Thebes,  a  miserable 
representative  even  of  Arab  filth  and  squalidness,  is 
overwhelmingly  powerful ;  and  the  imagination  is  con- 
lin  ally  struggling  to  restore  and  repeople  the  city, 
and  look  upon  its  splendor  ere  it  was  devastated  by  the 
Persian  conqueror.  But  these  mournful  relics  and  the 
utter  desolation  of  the  once  imperial  metropolis  teach 
most  impressive  lessons. 

"  Thousands  of  years  have  rolled  along, 
And  blasted  empires  in  their  pride  ; 
And  witnessed  scenes  of  crime  and  wrong, 
Till  men  by  nations  died. 


172  THEBES LUXOR. 

Thousands  of  summer-suns  have  shone, 
Till  earth  grew  bright  beneath  their  sway, 

Since  thou,  untenanted  and  lone, 
"Wert  rendered  to  decay." 

It  was  a  warm  beautiful  forenoon  when  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  remains  of  this  ancient  and  wonderful  city. 
The  high  hills  that  guard  the  valley  from  the  vast 
deserts  on  either  hand,  receded  as  we  approached  and 
exposed  an  immense  plateau  now  mainly  covered  with 
green  fields  of  waving  wheat  and  grass.  Soon  our  eyes 
caught  over  the  left  bank  of  the  river  a  small  portion 
of  the  ruins  of  Karnak,  and  presently  we  saw  through 
our  glasses,  fine  views  of  massive  columns  seeming  to 
rise  up  out  of  the  soil,  in  which  indeed  they  are  deeply 
imbedded.  These  were  a  portion  of  Luxor,  and  ere 
long  our  boat  was  made  fast  to  the  east  bank  only  a 
few  minutes'  walk  from  these  stupendous  relics.  After 
an  early  dinner  we  were  wandering  among  them. 
Some  of  the  mud  cabins  in  the  present  village  of 
Thebes  are  built  among  and  upon  the  grand  old  ruins 
of  the  temple  of  Luxor.  Magnificent  columns,  covered 
with  hieroglyphics,  and  still  standing  in  their  original 
positions,  are  filled  around  and  half  covered  with  the 
accumulated  dust  and  filth  of  ages,  while  some  are 
entirely  obscured  by  the  wretched  hovels  that  cluster 
about  them,  and  can  be  seen  only  by  entering  these 
repulsive  abodes,  amid  yelping  curs,  braying  donkeys, 
cackling  fowls,  and  dirty  Arabs.  But  as  you  look 
upon  these  old  pillars  of  stone,  exquisitely  chiseled, 
wander  through  the  halls  that  yet  remain,  and  survey 
their  vast  gateways  and  colossal  statues,  you  feel  that 
they  who  built  them  were  men  of  genius  and  power. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  objects  here  is  an  obelisk  of 


:-  \ 


GRANDEUR    OF   KARNAK.  173 

red  granite,  more  than  three  thousand  years  old,  and 
yet  its  appearance  and  its  hieroglyphics  are  still  fresh 
and  unimpaired.  Another  of  the  same  size  formerly 
stood  near  it,  but  now  it  adorns  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde in  Paris.  It  was  interesting  to  see  the  Ameri- 
can flag  waving  over  the  Temple  of  Luxor.  In  that 
Temple  our  Consular  Agent,  Mustapha  Aga,  has  his 
home.  He  is  a  clever  Arab,  will  treat  you  with  coffee, 
and  be  happy  to  sell  you  something  from  his  collection 
of  antiques,  consisting  of  mummies,  images,  and 
6carabsei,at  a  good  price. 

A  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Luxor  are  the  ruins  of 
Karnak,  the  grandest  temple  in  Egypt,  if  not  in  the 
world.  I  visited  it  just  at  evening,  enjoying  as  I  re- 
turned as  gorgeous  a  sunset  as  mortal  vision  could 
desire.  Ah  !  what  varied  scenes,  what  splendid  pag- 
eants, what  ages  of  glory  and  decay,  that  setting  sun 
has  witnessed  here.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  Kar- 
nak. One  must  see  it,  or  he  will  have  no  adequate 
idea  of  its  astonishing  magnitude  and  beauty.  Such 
an  array  of  massive  gates,  towers,  columns,  obelisks, 
and  statues,  is  a  perfect  marvel.  Think  of  a  temple, 
including  its  various  halls  and  apartments,  twelve  hun- 
dred feet  long,  and  about  five  hundred  feet  wide,  its 
massive  walls  rising  like  palisades,  and  its  immense 
pillars  like  forests,  with  avenues  leading  to  it  from 
each  point  of  the  compass,  along  which,  in  some 
instances  for  miles,  were  ranged  double  rows  of  colos- 
sal sphinxes  of  gray,  red,  and  black  granite.  The 
edifice  is  said  to  have  occupied  about  seventy-five 
acres,  it  having  been  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  bj 
different  monarchs,  each  striving  to  outdo  his  predi 


174:  THEBES OTHER    TEMPLES. 

cessor.  In  the  grand  hall  there  are  still  standing  over 
a  hundred  columns,  nine  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter, 
and  many  of  them  over  sixty  feet  high.  All  are  cov- 
ered with  various  hieroglypliieal  sculptures  and  paint- 
ings, whose  colors  are  still  bright  after  the  lapse  of 
nearly  forty  centuries.  In  one  place  you  see  a  group 
of  Jews  led  captive  by  an  Egyptian  king.  The  char- 
acters interpreted  agree  with  the  Bible  account  of 
Shishak's  victory  over  the  King  of  Judah.  A  striking 
verification  of  the  sacred  record.  Profound  and  var- 
ious are  one's  reflections  as  he  winders  amidst  these 
sublime  relics,  fallen  columns,  broken  obelisks  and 
shattered  sphinxes.  What  immense  processions  of 
people  once  marched  along  these  avenues,  gathered  in 
these  halls,  and  worshipped  at  the  shrine  of  Amon ! 
What  treasures  have  the  votaries  of  idolatry  lavished 
upon  their  gods ! 

Grand  as  are  the  temples  of  Luxor  and  Karnak, 
there  were  others  on  the  opposite  or  west  side  of  the 
river,  well  worthy  of  belonging  to  the  city  of  a  hun- 
dred gates.  Passing  some  two  miles  over  a  fertile 
plain,  once  a  part  of  Thebes,  and  you  come  first  to  the 
Temple  Palace  of  Koorneh  ;  farther  on  is  the  famous 
Memnonium  ;  and  still  beyond  is  a  cluster  of  magnifi- 
cent temples  called  Medenet  Haboo.  I  group  all 
these  together,  though  each  deserves  a  separate  des- 
cription, for  they  are  certainly  grand  old  structures, 
rich  in  immense  columns  and  various  sculptures  and 
paintings — buildings,  "  of  which  the  very  ruins  are 
tremendous."  In  the  last  is  a  hall  which  was  remod- 
eled and  used  as  a  church  by  the  early  Christians. 
We  could  see  traces  of  their  transforming  work.  Here 


COLOSSAL   STATUES.  175 

was  a  room  set  apart  in  a  heathen  temple  for  the  wor- 
ship of  the  living  God.  Here  true  disciples  of  Jesus 
once  offered  prayers  in  His  name  and  sang  hymns  to 
His  praise.  We  also,  sitting  on  fragments  of  its  de- 
serted walls,  sang  sweet  Christian  melodies,  songs  of 
heaven  and  immortality,  as  we  often  did  in  tlu  old 
temples  and  tombs  of  Egypt. 

On  the  border  of  the  green  vale  or  plain,  not  far 
from  the  temples  last  alluded  to,  are  two  colossal  stat- 
ues, in  a  sitting  posture,  about  sixty  feet  high,  I  be- 
lieve ;  one  of  which,  that  on  the  right  as  you  approach 
from  the  river,  is  the  renowned  Vocal  Memnon.  It  ia 
an  immense  figure  of  Retneses,  and  was  reputed  to  give 
forth  a  musical  sound  at  the  rising  of  the  sun.  It  was 
visited  by  emperors,  philosophers,  and  poets  from  dis- 
tant countries  being  attracted  by  its  fame.  One  of  our 
Arab  guides  climbed  up  to  a  secluded  spot  near  its  head, 
where  he  struck  a  stone  that  had  a  faint  and  peculiar 
jingle.  This  may  explain  the  old  and  wonderful  vocal 
phenomenon.  Tke  statue  by  its  side  is  nameless.  To- 
gether they  form  striking  objects  on  being  approached 
from  the  river. 

At  the  Memnonium  there  is  a  still  larger  statue  of 
Eemeses  II.  once  a  single  block  of  Syenite  or  granite, 
but  now  thrown  down  and  broken  into  several  pieces. 
It  is  difficult  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  vast  magnitude 
of  this  kingly  ruin,  or  of  its  imposing  majesty,  when  it 
stood  in  the  temple  and  represented  the  monarch. 
sitting  on  his  throne,  his  u  hands  resting  on  his  knees, 
indicative  of  the  tranquillity  which  he  had  returned  to 
enjoy  in  Egypt  after  the  fatigues  of  victory."  The 
weight  of  this  statue  is  estimated  at  more  than  eight 


176  TOMBS    OF   THE    KINGS. 

hundred  and  eighty-seven  tons.  Its  width  across  the 
chest  is  at  least  twenty-five  feet,  and  the  foot  is  six 
feet  in  breadth.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  climb  upon 
this  huge,  but  finely  chiseled  and  polished  Goliath  of 
statuary,  prone  and  broken  as  it  is.  If  one  marvels, 
as  well  as  he  may,  at  the  human  power  that  made, 
transported,  and  set  up  such  stupendous  monuments,  it 
is  scarcely  less  a  matter  of  wonder  how  those  early  in- 
vaders could  so  thoroughly  shatter  them. 

Beyond  the  objects  last  described,  along  a  stony  and 
sandy  vale,  amid  bold  and  bleak  hills  that  seem  a  kind 
of  barrier  to  the  great  Lybian  desert,  are  those  ancient 
and  splendid  mausoleums,  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 
They  are  excavations  in  the  lime-stone  hills,  and  were 
originally  closed,  and  their  entrances  concealed.  But 
the  curiosity  and  cupidity  of  adventurers  from  time  to 
time  found  access  to  them,  and  disturbed  the  royal  dust 
and  treasure  that  had  reposed  for  ages  in  those  mag- 
nificent chambers.  One  of  these  tombs  was  opened 
in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemys,  two  thousand  years  ago, 
and  it  was  then  hundreds  of  years  old.  Others  have 
been  recently  discovered.  ~VVe  first  entered  that 
opened  by  Belzoni,  who  took  from  it  a  beautiful  ala- 
baster sarcophagus,  which  is  now  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum in  London.  "We  descended  into  this  through  an 
entrance  about  eight  feet  square,  and  perhaps  fifty 
feet  long.  Then  we  descended  several  flights  of  stairs 
and  entered  various  large  halls  and  smaller  chambers 
at  the  right  and  left.  The  entire  length  must  have 
been  three  hundred  feet.  The  whole  is  cutout  of  solid 
though  not  very  hard  rock,  and  the  walls  and  ceiling 
of  the  entrance,  halls  and  chambers  are  all  covered 


THEBES MUMMY  PITS.  177 

with  elaborate  sculptures  and  hieroglyphics.  There 
are  thousands  of  images,  large  and  small,  of  human 
beings,  of  animals,  birds,  reptiles,  objects  worshiped, 
Nile  boats,  processions  and  various  utensils.  Some  of 
the  figures  are  painted,  and  the  colors  seem  still  fresh 
as  they  are  bright.  The  other  tombs  we  entered  were 
similiar  to  this.  In  some  we  found  large  granite  sar- 
cophagi, but  the  mummies  had  all  been  removed.  The 
apparent  freshness  of  these  sculptures  and  paintings, 
yet  so  old,  was  very  remarkable.  I  noticed  in  one  room 
that  the  work  was  not  complete  when  the  tomb  was 
closed.  One  of  the  walls  was  only  about  half  covered 
with  sculptured  hieroglyphics.  It  had  all  the  appear- 
ance of  a  work  in  present  progress,  so  sharp  and  well 
defined  was  every  touch  of  the  artist's  instruments. 
It  seemed  as  if  he  had  left  his  toil  for  the  day,  to  re- 
sume it  to-morrow.  And  yet  those  last  touches  were 
made  near  three  thousand  years  ago ! 

On  the  other  side  of  the  hill  we  saw  several  similar 
tombs,  evidently  belonging  to  distinguished  families 
in  the  days  when  Thebes  was  in  its  prosperity  and 
splendor. 

I  was  anxious  to  see  some  tombs  containing  mum- 
mies, and  expressed  such  a  wish  to  the  guide.  "  Fol- 
low me,"  said  he.  A  few  of  us  went  with  him  up  the 
slope  of  a  sand-hill,  where  we  came  to  a  small  entrance, 
just  large  enough  to  admit  us  singly,  going  backwards 
in  a  horizontal  position.  On  getting  through  this,  we 
could  almost  stand  upright,  and  with  candles  to  light 
the  darkness,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  room  perhaps 
fifteen  feet  square,  and  full  of  mummies  lying  promis- 
cuously about,  to  what  depth  I  know  not.  We  could 


178  DOWN  THE  NILE. 

not  take  a  step  without  treading  on  them.  We  fol- 
lowed the  guide  through  a  small  aperture  into  an- 
other room,  and  so  on,  till  we  had  passed  through  six 
or  seven  of  these  apartments,  all  filled  with  mummies, 
some  of  which  were  partially  unrolled,  and  had  a 
ghastly  appearance,  their  limbs  cracking  under  our 
feet,  as  we  were  obliged  to  trample  over  them  in  our 
way.  We  stopped  a  moment  to  pull  off  pieces  of 
mummy-cloth,  but  were  glad  to  get  away  from  the 
strange  spectacle,  and  creep  through  the  little  orifice  to 
purer  air.  These  pits  were  doubtless  the  tombs  of  the 
common  people.  The  whole  region  is  a  vast  necrop- 
olis, honey-combed  with  tombs  and  caves.  In  some 
places  parts  of  mummies,  skulls,  bones,  teeth,  and 
strips  of  mummy-cloth  lie  scattered  over  the  ground, 
and  near  some  rude  dwellings  I  saw  evidence  that  the 
wretched  natives  actually  use  the  mummies  for  fuel. 
O  degenerate  Egyptians  !  But  why  were  your  ances- 
tors so  careful  of  their  bodies,  and  so  anxious  to  make 
them  immortal  ?  Did  they  think  the  departed  spirit 
in  some  far  future  age  would  return  and  seek  a  union 
with  its  material  form  so  wonderfully  embalmed,  en- 
closed and  entombed,  and  that  both  would  live  to- 
gether again  ?  So  it  would  seem.  I  procured  a  fine 
mummy  shawl  of  linen,  in  which  some  daughter  of 
Egyptian,  royalty  may  have  slept  for  ages. 

Having  bid  farewell  to  Karnak,  where  the  tourist 
lingers  last  and  longest,  and  cut  our  name  on  one  of 
its  grand  old  columns,  we  turned  the  prow  of  our 
boat  northward,  and  were  soon  floating  down  "  the 
River  of  Egypt."  It  is  emphatically  the  river,  and 
unlike  any  other,  in  that  it  has  no  tributaries,  but 


SIGHTS  AND  ADVENTURES.  179 

flows  on  as  large  in  ]S"ubia  as  in  Egypt,  as  full  in  tne 
far  regions  of  Ethiopia  as  when  it  empties  itself  into 
the  Mediterranean.  It  was  pleasant,  at  a  distance  of 
six  thousand  miles,  to  tnrn  our  course  homeward, 
though  we  purposed  to  visit  the  Holy  Land  by  the 
way.  Headwinds  and  sand-storms  very  much  retarded 
our  progress. 

We  stopped  to  see  the  fine  temple  at  Dendera, 
which  is  in  a  tolerably  good  state  of  preservation,  and 
among  whose  sculptures  is  a  figure  of  Cleopatra  with 
her  son  Cesarion.  At  Siout  we  made  an  excursion  to 
the  ruins  of  ancient  Lycopolis,  whose  immense  sepul- 
chres in  the  side  of  a  lofty  hill,  were  once  the  refuge 
and  abode  of  early  Christians.  "\Ve  visited  the  tombs 
at  Beni  Hassan,  which  are  perhaps  as  old  as  any  in 
Egypt,  dating  back  to  the  days  of  Joseph.  Indeed, 
in  one  of  them  there  is  a  representation,  as  some  sup- 
pose, of  the  arrival  of  Joseph's  brethren,  or  their  pre- 
sentation to  Pharaoh.  Some  of  the  well-hewn,  rocky 
chambers  are  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  square,  their 
walls  covered  with  pictures  of  the  people  and  their 
pursuits  in  that  distant  period. 

Between  Keneh  and  Girgeh  we  were  overtaken  by 
a  furious  sand  storm  and  compelled  to  tie  up  to  the 
east  bank  for  a  good  part  of  the  day.  I  looked  long- 
ingly to  the  summit  of  the  high  rocky  bluffs  rising 
abruptly,  near  the  shore,  and  had  a  curiosity  to  see 
what  was  on  the  other  side.  I  had  seen  no  higher 
mountain  in  Egypt.  The  elevation  must  have  been 
nearly  two  thousand  feet.  I  made  the  ascent  alone, 
finding  it  somewhat  difficult  to  climb  the  almost  per- 
pendicular ledges  near  the  top.  I  was  surprised  to 


180  A   TURKISH    DIGNITARY. 

find  no  declivity  on  the  ether  side.  The  surface  was 
covered  with  small  stones  and  fossils,  having  the 
appearance  of  a  macadamized  road,  while  a  vast  des- 
ert, slightly  undulating,  stretched  away  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  The  view  was  scarcely  obstructed 
by  sand  in  the  air,  and  the  far  vision  of  the  Nile  and 
its  green  valley  was  a  delightful  picture  that  one  loves 
to  remember.  I  walked  about  a  mile  on  the  bold 
height  and  descended  through  a  deep  gorge  to  the 
river.  I  saw  no  person,  but  Achmet  assured  me  it 
was  a  dangerous  adventure,  for  robbers  might  be  lurk- 
ing in  the  region  of  my  rambles. 

Many  incidents  of  sights  and  scenes  by  the  way 
might  be  given.  I  will  mention  one  or  two.  Walk- 
ing through  a  village,  as  some  of  us  often  did,  while 
the  boats  lay  at  the  bank,  and  just  as  we  were  leaving, 
an  intelligent  looking  Nubian  beckoned  me  to  enter  a 
building  a  little  way  off.  I  followed  him,  and  another 
servant  went  for  the  rest  of  our  party,  who  were  in  ad- 
vance of  me.  We  found  in  an  open  room,  with  a  carpet, 
a  well  dressed  and  fine  looking  Turk,  smoking  his  chi- 
bouk and  drinking  coffee.  He  bade  us  take  seats  on 
the  divan  and  in  chairs,  and  we  conversed  as  well  as 
we  were  able,  telling  him  we  were  Americans,  and 
where  we  had  traveled.  He  offered  us  chibouks,  and 
treated  us  to  coffee.  His  servants  took  off  their  shoes 
whenever  they  approached  him.  It  was  a  pleasant 
interview. 

While  passing  through  the  bazaars  of  Benisouef,  I 
witnessed  a  remarkable  specimen  of  female  rage  and 
wrath.  A  woman  came  to  a  shop,  and  made  some  sort 
of  accusation  against  the  man  who  kept  it.  She  poured 


SPECIMEN    OF   FEMALE    WKATH.  181 

upon  him  a  storm  of  fiery  words.  As  she  proceeded, 
she  grew  fiercer  in  her  denunciations,  her  eyes  flash- 
ing fire,  her  features  all  signifying  her  intense  passion  ; 
and  her  invectives  of  scorn,  of  satire,  of  irony,  were 
accompanied  with  most  terribly  expressive  , gesticula- 
tions, and  fiendish  grimaces.  She  put  her  fingers  to 
her  face,  and  pulled  her  features  into  satanical  shapes, 
to  give  additional  force  and  point  to  her  tempestuous 
tirades.  A  young  woman,  perhaps  her  daughter, 
joined  her  in  a  similar  spirit  and  manner  against  the 
poor  fellow,  who,  after  attempting  to  withstand  the 
terrible  onslaught  of  accusation  and  rebuke,  was 
obliged  to  "  subside,"  and  tacitly  acknowledge  him- 
self overmastered.  I  never  saw  such  a  demonstration 
of  female  anger.  ~No  stage  scene  could  equal  it. 


XV. 

iiramite— %  gci 

AT  length  we  found  ourselves  floating  by  the  Pyra- 
mids and  almost  in  sight  of  Cairo.  It  was  a  bright 
and  beautiful  morning  when  we  stopped  at  the  west 
bank  and  prepared  for  a  visit  to  the  Pyramids  of  Sak- 
kara.  They  stand  on  the  border  of  the  Lybian  des- 
ert, about  six  miles  from  the  river,  though  the  distance 
seems  much  less.  Our  nimble  donkeys  bore  us 
through  fine  wheat-fields  and  magnificent  palm-groves, 
no  w  covering  the  site  of  ancient  Memphis.  Old  mounds 
and  broken  images  indicate  the  place  where  that 
great  and  splendid  city  once  flourished.  The  Prophet 
Amos  speaks  of  Memphis,  and  in  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and 
Ezekiel  it  is  called  ISToph,  as  Thebes  is  called  No 
Observing  the  prostrate  and  shattered  sculptures  of 
gods  and  men,  I  was  reminded  of  a  Divine  prophecy 
and  its  literal  fulfillment :  "  I  will  destroy  the  idols, 
and  I  will  cause  their  images  to  cease  out  of  Noph." 
(Ezek.  xxx.  13.)  The  most  remarkable  statue  here  is 
a  colossal  figure  of  Remeses  II,  over  forty-two  feet  in 
length,  not  including  the  pedestal.  It  lies  prostrate  on 
its  face,  several  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
which  had  been  excavated  about  it.  It  is  somewhat 
mutilated  and  broken ;  the  face,  however,  is  perfect 
and  beautiful ;  an  amulet  hangs  about  the  neck,  and 


MEMPHIS TCMB    OF    APIS.  183 

there  is  a  small  female  figure  at  the  side,  probably  a 
daughter  of  this  Pharaoh. 

The  cluster  of  Pyramids  at  Dashour  appeared  finely 
several  miles  at  our  left,  and  the  largest  of  these  at 
Memphis  now  assumed  a  huge  proportion  as  we  came 
under  its  shadow.  It  seems  to  be  almost  square  at 
the  base,  around  which  the  sand  has  drifted,  and  it 
tapers  upward  in  terraces  of  large  rough  stones. 
Achmet,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry,  assured  me  it  was 
impossible  to  ascend  it ;  he  had  never  known  any  one 
to  do  it.  I  nevertheless  made  the  attempt  and  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  top,  as  did  one  or  two  others 
of  our  party,  where  the  view  of  barren  desert  and 
green  valley  was  broad  and  beautiful. 

The  region  around  these  sublime  old  structures  for 
the  dead,  abounds  in  tombs  of  various  kinds.  These 
pits  contain  not  only  the  mummied  remains  of  human 
beings,  but  those  also  of  animals,  birds  and  reptiles, 
objects  of  worship  or  sacred  interest  among  the  old 
Egyptians.  But  the  chief  object  of  attraction  here  is 
the  tomb  of  Apis  or  the  Sacred  Bull,  one  of  the  gods 
worshiped  at  Memphis.  As  each  successive  bull 
died,  he  was  embalmed  and  buried  in  a  splendid  gran- 
ite sarcophagu^.  "We  saw,  as  we  wandered  in  the  im- 
mense excavation,  over  twenty  of  these  sarcophagi, 
exquisitely  hewn  and  polished,  and  some  of  them  cov- 
ered with  hieroglyphics.  I  measured  several,  and 
found  them  about  equal  in  size  and  form.  They  are 
thirteen  feet  in  length,  eight  in  breadth  and  depth,  be- 
sides the  cover  which  is  about  two  feet  thick,  and  so 
admirably  fitted  as  to  make  the  whole  appear  like  a 
solid  block  ten  feet  high.  The  lids  of  most  of  them 


184  THE   GREAT   PYRAMID. 

are  partially  displaced  for  the  removal  of  the  mum- 
mied bull.  The  interior  is  finely  hewn  out,  leaving 
the  walls  about  a  foot  thick.  What  grand,  massive, 
expensive  coffins,  and  all  for  senseless  beasts,  yet  wor- 
shiped as  gods  !  From  the  worship  of  this  idol  which 
the  Israelites  had  witnessed  here,  no  doubt  sprang  the 
idea  of  Aaron's  Golden  Calf  at  the  foot  of  Sinai.  We 
returned  in  the  afternoon  to  our  boats,  and  gliding 
down  the  river  reached  the  landing  opposite  Old  Cairo 
at  sunset,  prepared  for  an  excursion  to  the  grander 
Pyramids  of  Ghizeh  the  next  day.  But  some  of  us  im- 
proved the  evening  in  a  donkey  ride  to  Cairo,  so  anx- 
ious were  we  for  letters  from  home  and  news  from  the 
busy  world,  beyond  the  pale  of  which  we  had  seemed 
to  be  excluded  so  long.  I  had  dreamed  the  night 
before  of  getting  two  letters  for  myself  and  two  for  one 
of  our  party  at  the  banker's,  and  on  inquiry  there  found 
the  dream  as  trulv  realized  as  had  been  the  dreams  of 
Joseph.  Egypt  must  be  a  good  place  to  dream  in. 

Another  fair  morning  and  a  fine  ride  over  the  fields 
brought  me  face  to  face  with  the  marvelous  Sphinx 
and  at  the  feet  of  hoary,  old  Cheops.  A  marked  day 
in  a  tourist's  life !  As  I  approached  the  Great  Pyra- 
mid, I  was  somewhat  disappointed  in  i.ts  size  until  I 
came  quite  near  it,  when  it  seemed  at  once  to  expand 
to  a  magnitude  quite  overwhelming.  One  looks  up  to 
the  vast  pile,  silent  and  spell-bound.  A  sense  of  awe 
comes  over  him,  with  a  new  idea  of  the  power  of  man 
and  the  perpetuity  of  his  works.  I  could  now  easily 
conceive  how  this  stupendous  monument  might  cover 
full  twelve  acres  of  ground.  A  single  side  of  its 
square  base  is  more  than  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet 


ASCENT    OF    CHEOPS.  185 

long.  Nearly  five  hundred  feet  in  perpendicular 
height,  its  four  slopes  are  very  steep  and  seem  to  blend 
in  a  point  at  the  top.  A  party  half  way  up  appear  like 
birds  or  squirrels  on  a  church  steeple.  Each  side  is  a 
vast  stairway  of  stone  layers  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to 
four  feet  in  thickness,  each  layer  being  indented  afoot 
or  little  more,  allowing  that  much  for  the  width  of 
the  successive  steps.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous to  climb  over  the  higher  steps,  for  if  one  should 
lose  his  footing  at  any  considerable  height  he  would 
likely  roll  to  the  bottom  with  every  limb  and  bone 
broken.  About  forty  gentlemen  and  ladies  ascended 
while  we  were  there,  but  all  I  believe  were  assisted  by 
the  Arabs  except  myself.  Two  of  these  half-naked 
and  impudent  fellows  seize  their  victim  by  the  hand, 
one  on  each  side,  and  drag  him  or  her  up,  begging, 
flattering  and  threatening  for  bucksheesh,  though  they 
have  already  been  paid.  1  determined  to  go  up  with- 
out their  help.  I  had  scarcely  begun  the  ascent  when 
two  of  them  darted  before  me  and  bade  me  stop.  I 
undertook  to  go  around  them,  and  they  still  hedged 
my  way.  I  then  pushed  them  aside  with  my  Alpine 
baton,  and  went  on,  but  they  kept  close  to  my  side.  1 
repeatedly  assured  them  that  I  should  not  allow  them 
to  help  me,  but  they  persisted  in  following  me  two- 
thirds  of  the  way  to  the  top,  all  the  while  urging  the 
necessity  of  their  assistance  and  my  danger  without  it. 
They  said  my  head  would  swim,  my  feet  would  slip, 
and  my  strength  would  fail ;  and  they  used  some 
words  both  in  Arabic  and  broken  English  by  no  means 
complimentary  ;  but  all  in  vain.  They  seemed  sur- 
prised at  ray  persistence  and  defiance,  and  the  ease 


186  INTERIOR    OF    CHEOPS THE    SPHINX. 

with  which  I  climbed  from  step  to  step,  and  finally 
left  me  to  enjoy  the  glorious  ascent  alone.  The  little 
space  at  the  top,  that  may  be  thirty  feet  square,  is 
covered  over  with  visitors'  names.  The  view  is  wide 
and  grand,  embracing  the  Lybian  desert  and  the  Py- 
ramids on  its  border,  the  Nile  and  its  valley,  the  min- 
arets and  citadel  at  Cairo,  and  the  Mokattam  hills.  I 
lingered  to  read  again  letters  from  home,  and  then  de- 
scended, jumping  from  layer  to  layer,  and  passed 
those  that  were  half  way  down  when  I  started.  I 
found  it  a  more  difficult  task  to  creep  along  the  small, 
dark,  steep,  and  suffocating  passages  leading  to  the 
chambers  of  the  king  and  the  queen  in  the  interior  of 
the  Pyramid.  These  passage-ways  and  the  sepa- 
rate chambers,  that  of  the  king  being  much  the 
larger,  are  lined  with  smooth-hewn  granite,  while  the 
whole  exterior  of  the  Pyramid  is  of  limestone,  the 
blocks  being  handsomely  cut  and  jointed.  The  King's 
Chamber  contains  an  empty  sarcophagus,  where  the 
monarch  hoped  for  undisturbed  repose,  but  his  sealed 
and  gloomy  sepulchre  was  long  since  entered  and 
rifled  of  its  treasures. 

Another  Pyramid,  Cephrenes,  almost  as  large  as 
Cheops,  stands  near  it,  and  smaller  ones  are  in  the 
vicinity,  with  numerous  tombs  and  relics  of  palaces, 
among  which  we  wandered  and  mused,  lingering  last 
at  that  marvel  of  ancient  sculpture,  the  Sphinx.  This 
impressive  figure  was  evidently  hewn  from  the  native 
rock  where  it  still  stands.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
couchant  lion,  with  a  human  head  looking  out  upon 
the  fruitful  valley  of  the  Nile.  The  features  though 
mutilated  have  a  benignant  expression.  It  looks  like 


LEAVING    THE    NILE EXCURSION.  187 

the  representation  of  some  old  Egyptian  divinity,  and 
its  colossal  form,  a  hundred  and  forty  feet  long,  sixty 
feet  high,  and  the  head  a  hundred  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, must  have  deeply  impressed  the  worshiper,  as  it 
does  the  beholder  now.  The  day  of  this  excursion  to 
monuments,  some  of  which  perhaps  Abraham  saw, 
ended  our  six  weeks  of  life  on  the  Nile.  They  were 
weeks  of  strange,  novel  and  wonderful  interest.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  many  events  and  adventures 
that  gave  zest  and  variety  to  our  daily  experience,  and 
in  which  the  humorous  and  ridiculous  were  often  blen- 
ded. O  rare  and  unique  are  the  sights  and  scenes  on 
the  Kile.  The  recollection  of  those  winter  weeks  will 
be  a  perpetual  pleasure.  The  delightful  climate,  the 
clear  sky  and  soft  moonlight — our  hunting  excursions 
on  shore  ;  our  wanderings  in  the  villages ;  our  don- 
key-riding to  the  old  temples  and  monuments  ;  our 
visions  of  ancient  civilization  and  of  modern  life  in 
Egypt ;  our  exuberant  spirits  unburdened  by.  care  ; 
our  unwonted  relish  of  table  comforts,  with  augmented 
health,  weight  and  vigor — all  conspired  to  make  the 
trip  one  of  overflowing  delight  and  unmistakable 
benefit. 

One  more  excursion  I  was  resolved  to  make  before 
leaving  "  the  land  of  Egypt,"  as  it  was  not  safe  to 
enter  Palestine  through  the  long  desert  by  Mt.  Sinai 
and  Petra  as  I  had  desired.  I  was  very  anxious  to 
go  to  the  Eed  Sea,  and  view  the  place  where  the  great 
miracle  of  the  passage  was  wrought.  Only  one  of  our 
party  chose  to  accompany  me.  The  distance  is  ninety 
miles  from  Cairo  by  railway.  We  started  early  in  the 
in  the  morning,  March  9th,  and  soon  the  green  border 


188  DESERT — MIRAGE — BED    SEA. 

of  cultivated  land,  buildings  and  trees,  all  disappeared 
from  view,  like  receding  shores  as  one  goes  out  to  sea. 
I  seemed  to  be  in  a  desert  ocean,  not  entirely  level, 
but  wavy  and  ridgy,  like  a  rolling  prairie.  Every- 
where the  horizon  shut  down  upon  this  sandy,  pebbly 
waste.  !N~ot  a  building,  not  a  tree  or  shrub — nothing 
but  the  still,  awful  desert,  spread  out  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  under  the  warm  sunlight.  Once,  before 
reaching  the  sea,  a  few  shrubs,  huts  and  Arabs  were 
seen.  At  length  we  came  into  a  sort  of  vale,  with 
a  sandy,  stony  ridge  rising  on  our  right,  while  at 
some  distance  before  us,  a  little  to  the  left,  we  thought 
we  saw  the  sea,  for  which  we  were  anxiously  look- 
ing. The  still  water  and  the  plainly  marked  shore 
appeared  to  be  distinctly  in  view ;  but  they  receded 
and  vanished  as  we  approached,  being  only  a  mirage, 
a  frequent  phenomenon  of  the  desert.  But  ere  long 
our  eyes  were  gratified  with  a  sight  of  the  Red  Sea, 
first  appearing  as  a  narrow  strip  of  dark  green  water, 
lying  between  glittering  sandy  shores.  Beyond  it, 
those  arid  wastes  were  a  portion  of  Arabia,  of  Asia  ; 
while  at  our  right,  close  to  the  margin  of  the  sea,  rose 
the  long,  dark  mountain  range,  called  Jebel  'Attaka. 
"We  had  probably  passed  the  site  of  Migdol ;  and  Suez, 
to  which  we  had  arrived,  may  occupy  the  place  of 
Baai-zephon.  We  were  now  at  the  shore  of  the  sea, 
whose  dark  green  widening  waters  stretched  far  away 
to  the  south.  We  found  a  good  English  hotel  close  to 
the  shore. 

It  was  intensely  interesting  to  enter  "  that  great  and 
terrible  wilderness,"  and  advance  perhaps  in  the  very 
track  of  the  marshaled  and  marching  Israelites  ;  and 


PASSAGE    OF   THE   ISRAELITES.  189 

as  I  looked  out  from  a  window  of  my  room  that  even- 
ing, and  saw  the  full  moon  rise  beautifully  over  the 
sea,  I  was  probably  looking  upon  the  very  spot  where 
the  stupendous  miracle  was  wrought,  and  the  mighty 
procession  passed  through  the  channel  of  the  sea, 
whose  divided  waters  stood  like  walls  on  either  hand. 
Above  them  there,  was  the  astonishing  pillar  of  fire. 
On  that  deep  sea,  on  those  sandy  shores,  on  that  dark 
mountain  side,  its  glowing  radiance  was  cast.  Right 
there  before  me,  also,  the  hosts  of  Pharaoh  perished. 
A  little  south  of  me,  as  the  Hebrew  host  were  by  the 
shore  before  the  passage,  Moses  in  serene  majesty 
stood,  spoke  words  of  cheer,  and  said,  echoing  the 
Divine  command,  Go  forward !  and  stretched  his  won- 
drous rod  over  the  sea,  whose  waters  at  once  began  to 
divide  before  him. 

A  few  writers  think  the  passage  occurred  a  little  fur- 
ther down  the  sea.  I  was  struck,  however,  with  the 
topography  of  the  place  I  have  described,  as  according 
well  with  the  Divine  record.  The  Israelites,  with  that 
mountain  barrier  at  the  right  of  them,  the  sea  directly 
before  them,  and  also  extending  up  on  their  left, 
would  be  completely  hemmed  in,  as  the  Egyptians 
pressed  up  behind.  As  may  be  supposed,  I  read  the 
inspired  account  of  these  transactions  there  with  pro- 
found interest. 

The  next  morning,  as  I  was  crossing  the  sea  in  a 
boat,  the  sun  rose  gloriously  over  its  waters,  as  it  rose 
on  the  morning  after  the  passage.  I  landed  on  the 
Arabian  side,  perhaps  at  the  place  where  the  Israelites 
landed.  A  profound  stillness  rested  upon  everything. 
The  vast  desert  stretched  away  before  me.  Beside 


190  WELLS    OF    MOSES. 

ourselves,  not  a  human  being,  not  an  animal  was  seen. 
We  went  on  a  few  miles,  over  sands  mingled  with  peb- 
bles and  shells,  gathering  a  few  of  the  latter,  till  we 
came  to  a  slightly  elevated  place  called  the  Wells  of 
Moses.  Here  were  some  brackish  springs  and  pools 
of  water,  a  few  stunted  palms  and  tamarisks,  with 
other  vegetable  growths,  and  two  or  three  huts  with 
Arab  inhabitants.  This  is  the  traditional  place  where 
the  song  of  Moses  and  Miriam  was  sung.  The  Bible 
account  says  that  Israel  saw  that  great  work  which 
the  Lord  did  upon  the  Egyptians,  and  saw  them  dead 
upon  the  seashore.  From  the  point  where  I  stood,  all 
this  could  be  plainly  seen.  There  doubtless  the  de- 
livered and  rejoicing  hosts  stood.  There  Moses  with 
the  children  of  Israel  sang  his  sublime  song,  and  there 
Miriam  with  the  women  responded  in  triumphant 
chorus.  There,  too,  looking  out  upon  the  same  sea  and 
shore,  I  read  alond  from  the  Bible  that  glorious  song. 

"  Our  slavery  is  finished,  our  labor  is  done  ; 
Our  tasks  are  relinquished,  our  march  is  begun : 
The  arm  of  the  Lord  hath  divided  the  sea, 
Jehovah  has  conquered,  and  Israel  is  free. 

Proud  boaster  of  Egypt !  be  silent  and  mourn; 
Weep,  daughter  of  Memphis,  thy  banner  is  torn  ; 
In  the  temple  of  Isis  be  wailing  and  woe, 
For  the  mighty  are  fallen,  and  princes  laid  low." 


XVI. 

to 


THE  HOLY  LAND  !  "What  profound  and  thrilling  asso- 
ciations do  these  words  awaken  !  The  tender  memo- 
ries of  childhood  rustle  like  the  moving  of  angel 
wings  —  the  hallowed  lessons  received  from  parental 
lips  and  earliest  teachers  loved  and  revered,  but  now 
at  rest,  are  revived  —  with  many  a  wondrous  story  of 
Patriarch,  Prophet  and  the  blessed  Lord  of  Life  and 
Glory.  And  now,  as  the  land  of  Egypt  recedes  while 
the  steamer  sails  out  of  the  harbor  of  Alexandria,  I 
am  pleasantly  and  strangely  impressed  with  the  near- 
ness of  that  wonderful  territory  around  which  so 
many  interests  cluster,  and  where  I  have  so  often  been 
in  thought,  imagination  and  sacred  revery.  O  Land 
of  Promise  !  I  have  heard  of  thee  with  the  hearing 
of  the  ear,  but  now,  by  the  favor  of  Providence,  mine 
eye  shall  soon  see  thee,  and  long  cherished  visions 
shall  be  realized.  Our  pleasant  party  of  a  dozen  on 
the  Nile,  had  arranged,  with  the  exception  of  two,  to 
make  the  tour  of  Palestine  together. 

On  the  second  morning,  March  15th,  our  steamer 
anchored  off  the  ancient  city  of  Joppa  —  now  com- 
monly called  Jaffa  —  and  the  coast  of  Palestine  was 
in  view.  We  had  a  comparatively  smooth  passage, 
and  the  ladies  with  us  were  flattering  themselves,  at 


192  LANDING   AT   JOrPA. 

the  start,  that  they  should  get  through  this  little  trip 
without  sea-sickness  ;  but  they  were  all  obliged  to  pay 
tribute  to  Neptune.  He  has  never  been  able,  how- 
ever, in  his  most  boisterous  efforts,  to  exact  anything 
from  me. 

About  sunrise  we  were  ready  to  debark  ;  and  I  was 
now  for4he  first  time  to  plant  my  feet  on  the  soil  of 
the  Holy  Land.  We  were  favored  in  having  a  calm 
sea,  for  in  rough  weather,  so  unsheltered  and  rocky  is 
the  harbor,  that  a  landing  cannot  be  effected.  The 
ships  a  week  before  and  a  week  after  us,  could 
not  stop,  and  were  obliged  to  carry  passengers  for 
Joppa  on  to  Beirut.  The  little  boats  that  took  us 
ashore  glided  along  between  the  rocks  to  greet  the 
city  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Situated  com- 
pactly on  a  conical  or  rounded  hill,  it  has  a  fine 
appearance,  and  you  see  almost  the  whole  city  at  a 
glance,  as  you  approach  it  from  the  west  or  north- 
west. Its  grayish  brown  stone  or  plastered  buildings 
rise  picturesquely  one  above  another,  till  an  old  castle- 
like  edifice  sits  like  a  crown  at  the  top.  But  distance 
lends  enchantment  to  the  view.  Enter,  and  you  find 
it  like  other  Oriental  towns.  The  houses  are  huddled 
together  in  strange  confusion,  as  if  the  builders  cared 
nothing  for  comeliness  or  convenience.  The  streets 
are  narrow,  crooked,  and  filthy  ;  and  as  we  wound  up 
a  labyrinthine  alley  to  our  hotel,  we  passed  a  multi- 
tude of  horses,  camels  and  donkeys,  waiting  to  carry 
away  pilgrims  or  goods.  Indications  of  considerable 
thrift  and  business  are  not  wanting.  Persons  are 
moving  about,  bearing  burdens  on  their  heads  ;  and  I 
noticed  that  the  people  are  of  a  lighter  complexion, 


HOUSE    WITH    A    CHAMBEK    ON    THE    ROOF. 


HOUSETOP,    OK    EOOF    AND    BATTLEMENTS. 


HOUSE    OF    SIMON OKANGES  193 

more  intelligent  and  better-looking  than  the  Egyp- 
tians. 

It  was  pleasant  to  meet  Mr.  Saunders,  an  American 
missionary  from  Rhode-Island,  who,  observing  our 
arrival,  had  come  to  invite  us  to  his  house.  His 
interesting  family  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  Ascend- 
ing to  the  flat  roof  of  his  dwelling,  we  had  a  fine  view, 
embracing  a  broad  expanse  of  the  Mediterranean,  the 
sandy  shore  and  plains  bordered  with  olive  groves  on 
each  side  of  the  city,  and  in  the  horizon  on  the  north 
the  ridge  of  Carmel  jutting  into  the  sea.  The  house- 
top is  often  referred  to  in  Scripture.  The  ceilings  are 
generally  arched,  and  the  top  is  leveled  and  plas- 
tered, making  a  fine  airy  promenade,  and  a  good 
place  for  retirement,  as  it  is  usually  surrounded  by  a 
balustrade  or  battlement,  and  frequently  has  a  little 
room  at  one  corner.  Here  I  thought  of  Peter  going 
to  the  house-top  to  pray,  and  where  he  had  his  trance 
and  vision.  Indeed,  we  could  look  upon  the  house- 
top of  a  building  a  little  below  arid  south  of  us,  by 
the  sea-side,  called  the  house  of  Simon  the  tanner. 
Thither  we  soon  went,  and  saw  ift  the  court-yard  of 
that  house,  the  well  or  spring,  where  they  say  Simon 
obtained  his  water ;  and  there  too  were  some  old  stone 
troughs,  or  vats,  used  in  the  process  of  tanning.  "Why 
may  not  this  be  the  veritable  site  of  Simon's  house, 
where  Peter  was  entertained  ? 

I  see  yonder  where  those  beautiful  oranges  came 
from  that  we  had  on  our  breakfast  table.  The  Jaffa 
oranges  are  famous — large,  juicy,  sweet  and  delicious. 
The  recollection  of  them  is  still  refreshing.  East  and 
south  of  the  city,  stretching  out  on  the  border  of  the 

9 


194  JOPPA — ITS   GATE — ITS   HISTORY. 

great  Plain  of  Sharon,  are  the  most  luxuriant  fruit 
gardens  and  orchards  I  ever  saw.  As  we  went  out 
among  them,  the  air  was  laden  with  fragrant  and  spicy 
odors.  Flowers  and  fruits  covered  the  trees ;  and 
such  acres  of  thrifty  orange  groves,  all  golden  and  pen- 
dent with  the  delicious  fruit,  I  saw  nowhere  else.  It 
was  an  enchanting  sight.  Everywhere  these  tempting 
and  beautiful  oranges  are  before  you,  indoors  and  out. 
Beyond  the  gate,  for  some  distance  by  the  wayside, 
were  huge  baskets  and  piles  of  them  for  sale  ;  and  you 
could  get  a  dozen  of  the  best  for  a  piaster,  (four 
cents.) 

If  one  wishes  to  observe  what  is  occurring,  let  him 
go  to  the  gate  in  the  afternoon,  where  a  motley  crowd 
is  gathered  in  the  open  space  and  around  the  fine  foun- 
tain. A  great  many  matters  are  transacted  in  the 
gates  of  Eastern  cities.  There  the  people  meet,  and 
as  from  a  newspaper,  learn  what  is  going  on,  talking 
over  the  things  in  which  they  are  interested.  The 
Bible  frequently  speaks  of  this.  The  King  and  the 
Court  are  at  the  gate.  There  burdens  are  imposed  or 
lightened ;  there  thl  poor  are  turned  aside  ;  and  there 
judgment  is  established.  As  Joppa  is  surrounded  by 
a  wall  and  ditch,  and  has  but  this  one  gate,  all  these 
characteristics  may  be  witnessed  there. 

One  of  the  oldest  cities  in  the  world,  Joppa,  in  the 
distribution  of  the  land,  was  given  to  Dan.  In  Solo- 
mon's time,  the  timber  which  he  bought  of  Hiram, 
was  floated  thither  from  Tyre,  and  then  carried  to 
Jerusalem.  The  cedars  of  Lebanon,  for  the  second 
temple,  were  transported  in  the  same  way.  Here 
Jonah  embarked  for  Tarshish,  in  a  vain  endeavor  to 


PETER'S  VISION — DOECAS.  195 

avoid  going  to  Nineveh,  as  the  Lord  had  commanded 
him.  Much  of  the  history  of  Joppa  is  written  in 
blood.  It  has  been  the  scene  of  terrible  strifes  and 
cruel  massacres.  Jews,  Romans,  Saracens,  Moslems 
and  Christians  have  fought  decisive  battles  here. 
Napoleon  figured  here,  too,  in  no  very  enviable 
light.  It  is  said  that  he  ordered  hundreds  of  sick  sol- 
diers to  be  poisoned,  and  had  some  four  thousand 
prisoners  of  war,  taken  in  the  capture  of  the  city,  shot 
down  in  cold  blood. 

Interesting  as  Joppa  is  on  other  accounts,  and 
especially  as  the  place  where  the  Apostle  Peter  had 
the  remarkable  vision,  opening  his  mind  to  the  great 
truth  of  Gentile  evangelism,  it  has  a  peculiar  sacred- 
ness,  also,  as  the  scene  of  Dorcas's  charitable  labors, 
death,  and  miraculous  restoration.  A  "  woman  full 
of  good  works  and  alms-deeds  which  she  did,"  her 
death  was  greatly  lamented  ;  and  as  Peter,  who  had 
been  sent  for  at  Lydda,  came  to  the  upper  chamber 
where  her  remains  lay,  "  all  the  widows  stood  by  him 
weeping,  and  showing  the  coats  and  garments  which 
Dorcas  made,  while  she  was  with  them."  But  a  glor- 
ious miracle,  wrought  at  the  hands  of  Peter,  and  in 
answer  to  his  prayers,  soon  changed  their  mourning 
into  joy.  Tabitha  again  lived  to  prosecute  her  benev- 
olent deeds ;  and  her  brief  story,  like  that  of  Mary, 
who  anointed  the  head  of  the  Lord,  embalmed  on  the 
page  of  revelation,  lives  wherever  the  Gospel  is 
preached.  Character  is  immortal,  and  beneficence  is 
beautiful.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  house  in  Joppa 
is  designated  as  Tabitha's,  but  a  grave  and  a  sarcoph- 
agus have  been  found  in  a  garden,  and  as  there  was 


196         DEPARTURE PLAIN  OF  SHARON. 

no  positive  evidence  that  they  belonged  to  any  one 
else,  they  were  assigned  to  her. 

It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon  of  a  spring  day,  and 
memorable  as  our  first  in  the  Holy  Land,  when  we 
left  the  old  city  of  Joppa  on  our  way  to  Jerusalem. 
The  threatening  clouds  that  had  hung  in  the  sky  in 
the  morning,  parted  and  floated  away,  and  a  warm 
Syrian  sun  flashed  over  grove  and  field.  Our  path 
for  some  time  was  through  luxuriant  orange-orchards, 
and  between  hedges  of  rank  and  lofty  cactus — a  plant 
that  often  grows  here  to  the  height  of  fifteen  feet, 
while  its  trunks  near  the  ground  are  sometimes  about 
two  feet  in  diameter.  Our  baggage  had  gone  on  before 
us  on  the  backs  of  mules,  and  we,  one  after  another 
on  horseback,  pursued  the  narrow  track  often  trav- 
ersed by  pilgrims  and  tourists.  There  is  not  a  car- 
riage-road in  all  Palestine  ;  nor  did  I  see  a  vehicle 
with  wheels  in  any  part  of  the  country.  Everything 
not  carried  on  foot,  in  the  arms,  on  the  head  or  shoul- 
der, where  the  women  frequently  carry  children,  is 
borne  on  the  backs  of  mules,  camels,  donkeys  and 
horses.  One  frequently  meets  a  long  caravan  of 
camels  loaded  with  sacks  of  grain  or  other  articles  of 
merchandise. 

We  were  now  on  the  great  Plain  of  Sharon,  o 
whose  rose  Solomon  sang,  and  it  is  still  blooming  with 
flowers.  It  extends  from  Carmel  to  the  south,  along 
the  sea,  and  includes  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  It 
was  pleasant  to  pass  fields  of  wheat  and  barley,  and 
see  natives  here  and  there  cultivating  the  soil,  and 
appearing  more  industrious  than  the  fellaheen  in 
Egypt.  Their  oxen  are  small,  wearing  a  long  rude 


PHILISTIA — LYDDA.  197 

yoke.  Their  plow  is  a  very  simple  and  crude  instru- 
ment ;  its  point  or  share  is  iron,  but  scarcely  turns  a 
furrow  one  way  or  the  other,  only  slightly  breaking 
up  the  soil ;  its  beam  and  single  handle  are  two  sticks 
crossed  and  fastened  together  near  the  point,  the  one 
extending  forward  to  the  yoke,  and  the  other  up  and 
back,  where  the  laborer  may  "  put  his  hand  to  the 
plow,"  while  in  the  other  he  carries  a  goad. 

On  our  right  was  Philistia  ;  and  there  dwelt  that 
people  from  whom  the  Israelites  suffered  so  much. 
There  were  Ekron,  Ashdod,  Ascalon,  Gaza  and  Gath, 
inhabited  by  the  worshipers  of  Dagon. 

Ten  miles  over  the  plain  a  little  south  of  east, 
brought  us  to  Ludd,  retaining  nearly  its  ancient  name 
Lod,  a  city  of  Benjamin.  It  is  called  in  the  New 
Testament  Lydda.  It  is  now  a  flourishing  village, 
embowered  in  fine  orchards  of  olive,  pomegranate,  fig, 
mulberry,  sycamore  and  other  trees.  Its  green  and 
fertile  fields  contrasted  strongly  with  its  filthy  streets 
and  forbidding  houses.  It  had  an  eventful  history, 
with  various  reverses,  under  the  Romans  and  in  the 
time  of  the  Crusades.  It  is  distinguished  as  the  birth- 
place and  burial  place  of  St.  George,  the  patron  saint 
of  England.  The  ruins  of  a  Gothic  church,  erected 
by  King  Richard,  the  Lion-Hearted,  some  of  the  walls 
and  arches  of  which  are  still  standing,  are  quite  strik- 
ing and  picturesque. 

But  Lydda  is  specially  interesting  as  the  place 
where  Peter  wrought  a  miracle  in  healing  Eneas,  who 
had  "  kept  his  bed  eight  years,  and  was  sick  of  the 
palsy."  It  was  a  glad  day  for  the  poor  paralytic 
when  he  heard  from  the  Apostle's  lips  the  strange 


198  RAMLEH — WOMEN    WEEPING. 

announcement,  "  Jesus  Christ  maketli  tliee  whole  !" 
and -a  glad  day  too  for  the  few  disciples  there;  for 
then  the  multitudes  of  Lydda  and  Sharon  turned  to 
the  Lord. 

Two  or  three  miles  south  of  Lydda  is  Ramleli, 
where  we  spent  the  night  in  a  large  Latin  Convent, 
and  found  comfortable  accommodations.  Our  drago- 
man, Ibrahim,  made  all  the  arrangements  with  the 
monks,  and  paid  the  bills.  Our  party  had  contracted 
with  him  before  leaving  Egypt,  to  conduct  us  through 
Palestine,  and  furnish  everything  necessary  for  our 
journeys. 

Kamleh  is  a  considerable  village,  and  has  several 
mosques  crowned  with  minarets.  It  is  supposed,  by 
some,  to  be  the  ancient  Arimathea,  the  home  of  Jo- 
seph, that  wise  counsellor  who  went  boldly  to  Pilate, 
and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus,  that  he  might  lay  it  in 
his  own  new  tomb.  A  principal  object  of  interest 
here  is  a  tine  old  tower,  a  half  a  mile  west  of  the  vil- 
lage. It  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high, 
built  of  hewn  stones,  and  adjoining  it  are  ruined 
walls  and  arches  of  an  immense  edifice  that  might 
have  been  a  church,  mosque  or  khan,  under  which  are 
vast  and  solidly  built  subterranean  vaults.  In  the 
morning  I  ascended  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  from 
which  the  view  is  wide  and  attractive.  From  the 
mountains  to  the  sea,  and  from  Carmel  to  the  desert, 
the  broad  plain  of  Sharon  is  spread  out  in  a  diversi- 
fied surface  of  gray  villages  and  green  fields  and 
groves. 

In  a  cemetery  near  by  I  noticed  a  number  of  wo- 
men around  a  grave  weeping  and  sighing,  and  was 


WOMEN    WEEPING    AT  A  GRAVE. 


>/ry 

OF 


LATRON VALLEY  OF  AJALON.          199 

reminded  of  what  was  said  of  Mary  :  "  She  goeth  unto 
the  grave  to  weep  there  !" 

Two  or  three  hours  brought  us  near  the  mountains 
of  Judea,  and  to  the  village  of  Latron,  on  the  slope  of 
a  hill,  and  supposed  to  be  the  home  of  the  penitent 
thief.  A  mile  north  of  it  is  Amwas,  a  conspicuous 
place,  and  long  regarded  as  the  Emmaus  where  our 
Lord  appeared  to  the  two  disciples,  but  it  is  too  far 
from  Jerusalem  to  be  the  site  of  that  village.  "We 
had  passed  near  some  very  interesting  localities  on 
our  right,  where  Samson  performed  many  of  his  mar- 
vellous exploits,  and  where  David  slew  the  giant 
Goliath.  We  must  have  been  near  the  brook  where 
the  ruddy  stripling  selected  his  five  smooth  pebbles. 
And  perhaps  we  were  in  sight  of  the  spot  where  Philip, 
coming  from  Samaria,  joined  the  Eunuch,  and  they 
continued  on  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  the  place 
of  baptism.  A  Presbyterian  missionary — the  author 
of  "The  Land  and  the  Book" — who  has  traveled 
through  there  says,  "  There  is  a  fine  stream  of  water 
called  Muriibbah,  deep  enough,  even  in  June,  to  sat- 
isfy the  utmost  wishes  of  our  Baptist  friends." 

Entering  the  mountainous  region,  we  found  the 
country  hilly,  rocky,  and  rough,  all  the  way  to  Jeru- 
salem. The  Syrian  horses  are  sure-footed,  but  some 
of  the  paths  are  "  slippery,"  and  along  precipices 
where  a  fall  might  be  fatal,  reminding  us  forcibly  of 
various  Scripture  allusions.  On  our  left  was  the  vil- 
lage of  Ajalon,  and  we  were  passing  along  the  valley 
where  the  moon  stood  still  at  the  command  of  Joshua, 
during  the  great  battle  when  he  routed  the  hosts  of 
the  five  kings  at  Gibeon,  and  drove  them  over  Beth- 


200  KIRJATH-JEAKIM— -MIZPEH — OLIVET. 

lioron  and  down  the  valleys  here.  We  now  stopped 
an  hour  in  the  shade  for  our  noon  lunch. 

Going  up  and  down  the  mountains  that  are  round 
about  Jerusalem,  we  come  to  a  village  nestled  on  a 
hill-side  with  adjacent  olive  groves  and  terraced  slopes. 
This  is  Kirjath-jearim,  where  the  Ark  rested  twenty 
years,  after  it  was  brought  hither  from  Beth-shemesh. 
The  house  of  Abinadab  was  on  this  hill,  whence  Da- 
vid at  the  end  of  that  period  took  the  Ark  to  Jerusa- 
lem along  the  path  we  were  traveling.  Very  likely 
Emmaus  was  near  this  place. 

We  were  now,  on  each  successive  mountain-top, 
hoping  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  City  of  the  Great 
King — the  city  we  had  long  desired  to  see.  Crown- 
ing an  eminence  on  our  left,  we  saw  a  white  wely  or 
tomb.  It  was  Mizpeh,  and  the  tomb  of  Samuel. — 
Near  this  is  Ebenezer,  where  the  prophet  placed  the 
memorial  stone,  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us  !" 

Anxious  to  get  sight  of  the  sacred  city,  I  hastened 
on  in  advance,  and  overtook  another  party  of  Ameri- 
cans and  English  just  as  we  got  a  glimpse  of  a  hill 
whose  slope  was  dotted  with  olive  trees  and  whose 
summit  was  crowned  with  a  cluster  of  buildings,  one 
of  which  looked  like  a  church  with  a  spire.  "  The 
Mount  of  Olives  ! "  we  exclaimed,  and  such  it  was. 
A  moment  after,  as  we  advanced,  we  saw  domes  and 
minarets  intervening,  and  then  the  massive  walls  and 
gate  of  a  city  not  more  than  half  a  mile  distant.  O, 
sacred  hour !  Moment  never  to  be  forgotten !  A 
blessed  memorial  day  !  when  at  half-past  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  my  eyes  were  actually  resting  upon 
Jerusalem  and  Olivet !  What  wonderful  associations 


JERUSALEM.  201 

do  these  names  and  places  awaken !  and  what  power- 
ful and  tearful  emotions  thrilled  my  heart  as  now  they 
were  really  before  me  !  Such  a  moment,  such  soul- 
thoughts  and  feelings,  cannot  be  described.  I  dis- 
mounted, sat  down  by  an  old  wall,  and  with  these 
sacred  objects  before  me,  read  from  my  pocket  Bible 
portions  of  the  Psalms  and  of  the  ISTew  Testament, 
referring  so  beautifully,  tenderly,  and  gloriously  to 
this  city  of  Mount  Zion  and  of  God.  Our  party  came 
up,  and  presently  entering  the  Jaffa  or  Bethlehem 
gate,  we  began  to  realize  the  fulfillment  of  the  beauti- 
ful passage  we  had  so  often  repeated  :  "  Our  feet  shall 
stand  within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem ! " 

9* 


XVII. 


IBRAHIM  had  sent  on  in  advance  one  of  his  assistants, 
to  secure  quarters  for  us  in  Jerusalem.  He  made 
arrangements  for  us  at  the  Mediterranean  Hotel,  the 
best,  perhaps,  of  the  two  or  three  in  the  city.  It  is 
kept  by  a  German,  I  believe,  named  Hauser,  who 
speaks  tolerable  English,  and  charges  only  a  quarter 
of  a  dollar  for  an  extra  cup  of  tea. 

On  entering  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  passing  through  the 
massive  wall,  it  was  a  thrilling  thought  that  I  was  in 
the  City  of  the  Great  King,  and  on  Mount  Zion  !  On 
the  right  was  the  Tower  of  David — the  Hippicus  of 
Josephus — an  ancient  building  resembling  a  castle, 
and  is  one  of  the  few  relics  of  the  former  city.  We 
were  now  in  the  narrow  paved  Street  of  David,  filled 
with  a  motley  crowd  of  Arabs,  Turks  and  Franks, 
intermingled  with  camels  and  donkeys,  among  which 
we  worked  our  way  as  best  we  could.  Going  east- 
ward and  descending  the  hill  for  a  short  distance,  we 
turned  to  the  left  into  Patriarch  Street,  a  dirty  lane, 
with  small  shops  on  each  side,  and  in  a  short  time 
were  at  our  hotel  on  the  left.  Ascending  two  or  three 
flights  of  stairs,  and  going  over  a  portion  of  the  roof 
of  the  building,  and  then  descending  a  few  stone 
steps,  I  was  at  length  conducted  to  my  room.  Look- 


VIEW   FKOM   THE    HOUSE-TOP.  203 

ing  out  at  the  west  window,  1  saw,  directly  beneath, 
the  ancient  Pool  of  Hezekiah,  an  immense  tank  of 
water,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  wide,  with  the  Greek  convent  on 
the  north  of  it.  This  great  reservoir  corresponds  to 
the  account  that  Hezekiah  "  made  a  pool  and  a  con- 
duit, and  brought  water  into  the  city." 

I  lost  little  time  in  ascending  to  the  roof,  for  a  view 
of  the  city  and  its  surroundings.  "Jerusalem  is 
builded  as  a  city  that  is  compact  together."  It  occu- 
pies a  high  broad  eminence,  and  is  surrounded  on  all 
sides,  but  the  northwest,  by  deep  valleys.  The  west- 
ern part  of  the  city  is  considerably  higher  than  the 
eastern.  The  wall  enclosing  the  city  is  lofty,  and  of 
an  imposing  appearance,  its  entire  circuit  being  about 
two  miles  and  a  half.  The  four  sides,  though  not 
regular,  are  easily  made  out,  and  nearly  face  the  car- 
dinal points.  Mount  Zion,  much  the  largest  elevation 
in  the  city,  embraces  its  south-western  portion.  East 
of  this,  across  a  depression  called  the  Tyropoean 
valley,  is  Moriah,  the  seat  of  Solomon's  temple,  now 
occupied  by  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  whose  lofty  and 
brilliant  dome  makes  a  striking  appearance.  Calvary 
is  just  north  by  a  little  east  of  Zion,  and  not  far  from 
my  place  of  observation.  The  church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  a  large  irregular  edifice,  is  built  over  it. 
Its  principal  dome  is  partially  decayed.  The  Mount 
of  Olives  seems  to  rise  up  beautifully  from  the  east- 
ern edge  of  the  city,  but  the  deep  Yalley  of  Jehosha- 
phat  intervenes.  The  summit  of  Olivet  is  nearly  two 
hundred  feet  higher  than  ihe  city,  and  is  crowned 
with  a  mosque,  and  the  Church  of  the  Ascension. 


204  JERUSALEM. 

The  setting  sun  illumines  its  western  slopes,  dotted 
with  olive  trees,  and  disclosing  occasional  terraces, 
and  three  paths  leading  over  it  toward  Bethany.  Am 
I  really  looking  upon  those  sacred  localities?  It  is  a 
wonderful  view — it  is  a  holy  hour — a  time  when  unut- 
terable thoughts  and  powerful  emotions  thrill  the  soul. 
Within  my  range  of  vision,  even  near  me,  what 
strange,  solemn,  and  all- important  events  have  occur- 
red ! 

The  next  morning — the  Jewish  Sabbath — was  clear, 
bright  and  balmy,  and  I  saw  the  sun  rise  gloriously 
over  the  Mount  of  Olives.  A  few  of  us  had  arranged 
for  an  early  walk  to  that  sacred  mount.  Along 
Patriarch  Street,  a  little  to  the  north,  and  then  turning 
to  the  right  near  Calvary,  we  went  down  the  Via 
Dolorosa,  passing,  just  before  we  arrived  at  St.  Ste- 
phen's Gate,  a  number  of  miserable  lepers,  sitting  by 
the  wayside  begging.  Going  through  the  gate,  we 
soon  descended  a  steep  declivity,  passing  the  spot 
where  it  is  said  the  martyr  Stephen  was  stoned  to 
death,  and  crossing  by  a  bridge  the  bed  of  the  brook 
Kedron  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat, 
we  began  to  ascend  the  slope  of  Olivet.  An  enclosure 
at  our  right,  containing  a  number  of  very  old  and 
venerable  looking  trees,  represents  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane — a  sweet  and  holy  spot,  which  we  long 
to  enter,  but  pass  on,  ascending  the  hill  by  the  central 
path.  Near  an  old  dilapidated  stone  building,  evi- 
dently once  the  tower  of  a  vineyard,  we  paused  to 
rest,  and  look  back  upon  the  city.  Alone,  and  the 
sweet  stillness  of  the  morning  about  us,  at  the  sugges- 
tion  of  Mrs.  J.  E.  Tyler,  of  Louisville,  whose  interest 


MOUNT    OF    OLIVES.  205 

with  that  of  her  husband  in  those  sacred  places  was 
always  deep  and  tender,  Rev.  William  Howe,  of  Bos- 
ton, led  us  in  prayer,  as  we  kneeled  upon  the  slope 
where  Jesus  had  often  kneeled  and  spent  even  whole 
nights  in  prayer. 

Olivet  is  a  somewhat  high  hill  or  range  of  hills,  run- 
ning north  and  south,  exceeding  the  extent  of  Jerusa- 
lem, of  a  grayish  appearance,  interspersed  with  green 
patches,  and  here  and  there  a  sprinkling  of  olive  trees, 
grouped  in  clusters  or  standing  in  isolation,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  dense,  dark  foliage.  Limestone  walls  for 
terracing  the  slope,  and  slight  ledges  of  rock  serving 
the  same  purpose,  are  noticed  as  we  pass  along.  On 
the  central  and  highest  summit  are  a  few  small  build- 
ings, including  a  church  and  a  mosque. 

My  first  view  of  Jerusalem  from  the  west  was  par- 
tial and  meager  ;  but  now,  as  I  looked  upon  that  won- 
derful city  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  my  anticipations 
were  fully  realized.  My  previous  conceptions  of  its 
form  and  appearance  were  entirely  met  in  the  picture 
before  me.  There  it  all  lay  at  my  feet  in  one  view. 
Inclining  toward  me,  I  could  look  upon  its  every 
building,  see  the  whole  circuit  of  its  walls  and  the  hills 
on  which  it  stands,  all  seeming  to  rise  up  out  of  the 
deep  surrounding  valley.  O  what  scenes  had  tran- 
spired in  those  localities  beneath  my  gaze — events  that 
will  thrill  the  world  forever  ! — the  thought  of  which 
at  such  a  time  awakened  most  powerful  emotions. 
"What  feet  had  been  where  mine  were  standing — 
what  eyes  had  looked  upon  those  scenes ! 
"  In  every  direction  the  view  is  commanding  and  glo- 
rious. I  climbed  up  to  the  balcony  of  the  slender 


206  VIEW    FROM    OLIVET. 

minaret,  and  with  rapt  eagerness  and  delight  surveyed 
the  far-spreading,  varying,  and  wondrously  strange 
panorama.  On  the  west  all  Jerusalem  and  its  envi- 
rons are  seen,  and  in  the  horizon  beyond  there  is  a 
line  of  brown  hills  about  equal  in  elevation  to  those 
occupied  by  the  city.  Casting  the  eye  on  northward, 
you  see  a  conspicuous  eminence  crowned  with  a  tower. 
It  is  Neby  Samwil,  the  ancient  Mizpeh,  and  Gibeon 
adjoins  it  on  the  right.  More  directly  north  appears 
Mount  Scopus  among  groves  of  olive.  Turning  the 
eye  southward  of  Zion,  the  Hill  of  Evil  Council  rises 
up  from  the  valley  of  Hinnom  with  a  rocky  and  ter- 
raced slope.  Beyond  it  is  the  green  plain  of  Rephaim, 
and  still  farther  the  Convent  of  Elias  on  a  ridge  by 
the  path  leading  to  Bethlehem.  Looking  now  to  the 
east  a  wider  prospect  is  unfolded,  and  the  eye  rests  on 
objects  of  deep  and  thrilling  interest.  Jnst  down  at 
my  right,  behind  a  ridge  or  spur  of  the  hill,  is  dear 
and  beloved  Bethany.  Almost  at  my  feet  begins  the 
"  wilderness  of  Judea,"  gradually  declining  in  a  series 
of  bleached  and  barren  hills,  and  desolate  glens,  for 
ten  or  twelve  miles,  when  it  drops  into  the  low  valley 
of  the  Jordan.  A  long  extent  of  this  valley  is  visible; 
and  the  course  of  the  river  can  be  traced  by  the  dark 
line  of  verdure  on  its  banks.  The  valley  expands 
toward  the  south  into  a  white  plain  which  terminates 
at  the  Dead  Sea,  a  portion  of  which  is  distinctly  seen, 
its  waters  sparkling  in  the  morning  sunlight.  Beyond 
the  Jordan  valley  rises  the  long  range  of  Moab  moun- 
tains resting  like  a  dark  wall  against  the  sky.  There, 
"  over  against  Jericho,"  are  Pisgah  and  ISTebo ;  and 
though  they  cannot  now  be  indentified,  I  doubtless 


PATHS    OF   JESUS — HOUSE   OF    PILATE.  207 

looked  upon  the  very  summits  where  Moses  was  per- 
mitted to  behold  all  the  Land  of  Promise,  and  whence 
his  glorious  spirit  went  up  to  the  Mount  of  God. 

O  Sacred  Olivet !  The  whole  mount  is  instinct  with 
memories  of  Jesus.  How  often  His  eyes  looked  upon 
it  and  His  feet  pressed  it.  He  trod  these  paths  as  He 
went  over  it  to  the  sweet  home  of  His  friends.  Here 
He  came  for  seclusion  and  rest.  u  In  the  day-time  He 
was  teaching  in  the  temple,  and  at  night  He  went  out 
and  abode  in  the  mount  that  is  called  the  Hount  of 
Olives."  Here  how  many  times  the  sun  went  down 
beneath  His  gaze,  and  the  leaves  rustled  in  the  zephyrs 
that  fanned  His  holy  brow.  Here,  in  some  shady 
retreat  or  that  olive  garden  with  His  few  disciples 
seated  about  Him,  how  often  He  spoke  to  them  words 
of  heavenly  wisdom  and  power.  What  sermons  and 
parables  were  here  uttered  by  the  Divine  Man  !  Here 
He  taught,  and  prayed,  and  wept.  The  scene  of  the 
Agony  and  Betrayal  was  here  ;  and  just  over  this 
summit  where  he  ascended  to  heaven  His  feet  for  the 
last  time  touched  the  earth.  O  what  a  privilege  to 
trace  His  pathways  here — to  kneel  where  He  knelt 
and  suffered — to  think  of  His  tears  and  His  tri- 
umph— and,  best  of  all,  to  share  His  love  !  As  we 
return,  the  sacred  city  lies  before  us  in  the  morning 
light  like  a  picture  set  in  a  frame  of  mountains  that 
are  round  about  Jerusalem,  as  the  Lord  is  around 
about  His  people. 

After  breakfast,  we  went  to  the  house  of  the  present 
governor,  said  to  occupy  the  site,  and  to  be  actually 
composed  in  part,  of  the  Palace  of  Pilate.  It  is  on  the 
Via  Dolorosa,  directly  north  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar. 


208  TEMPLE   AREA — VIA    DOLOROSA 

From  the  roof  we  Lad  a  fine  view  of  the  great  mosque 
and  its  broad  area,  once  the  Temple  grounds,  and  now 
like  a  beautiful  green  Park,  surrounded  by  massive 
and  lofty  walls,  with  evergreen  trees,  the  dusky  olive 
and  tapering  cypress,  growing  here  and  there,  while 
marble  fountains,  airy  arches,  richly  carved  pulpits 
and  prayer-niches,  and  graceful  miniature  cupolas, 
give  beauty  and  variety  to  the  fairy  scene.  Moslems 
were  leisurely  walking  over  the  grounds  and  the 
broad  platform  of  the  mosque,  or  praying  at  some 
shrine ;  but  we  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  sacred 
enclosure. 

Descending  to  the  Yia  Dolorosa,  we  go  up  to  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sephulchre.  This  is  pointed  out 
as  the  way  our  Saviour  went  from  the  House  of  Pilate 
to  the  place  of  crucifixion.  Two  old  arches,  now  filled 
up,  are  shown  in  the  wall  where  was  the  Santa  /Scala, 
or  staircase,  down  which  Jesus  went  from  the  Judg- 
ment Hall.  These  marble  steps  or  stairs  are  said  to 
have  been  removed  to  Rome.  Nearly  opposite  is  the 
Church  of  the  Flagellation,  or  Crowning  with  Thorns, 
marking  the  place  where  Christ  was  scourged.  A  few 
rods  westward,  the  Eoce  Homo  Arch  spans  the  street, 
desginating  the  spot  where  Pilate,  presenting  Jesus  to 
the  people,  said,  "  Behold  the  Man  !"  And  so,  as  we 
proceed  along  the  gloomy,  narrow  street,  turning  now 
to  the  left  and  then  to  the  right,  we  are  shown  various 
other  stations — the  place  where  the  Saviour  fainted, 
and  made  an  impression  in  the  wall  of  a  house,  as  he 
leaned  against  it — the  spot  where  he  met  his  mother — 
the  house  of  St.  Veronica,  a  woman  who  came  out  and 
presented  her  handkerchief  to  Jesus,  that  he  might 


HOLY    PLACES.  209 

wipe  his  bleeding  brow — the  place  where  Simon  took 
the  cross — and  that  where  our  Lord  said  to  the  women 
who  followed  him  weeping,  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
weep  not  for  me."  The  Latin  pilgrims  regard  this 
street  and  these  stations  with  the  greatest  interest, 
seeming  to  believe  every  superstitious  tradition.  Not 
in  this  street  as  it  now  is,  but  quite  near  it,  possibly, 
our  blessed  Lord  did  go  from  Pilate's  hall  to  Golgotha, 
along  a  sorrowful  way,  bearing  his  cross;  and  the 
characteristics  of  this  Via  Dolorosa  serve  to  give  ap- 
propriateness to  its  name. 

Of  all  holy  places  in  Jerusalem,  or  on  the  earth,  the 
spot  where  Jesus  was  crucified,  and  the  tomb  in 
which  he  was  buried,  if  certain  of  their  identity,  must 
be  regarded  with  the  deepest  interest.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  the  doubts  cast  upon  the  traditional  sites 
of  these  sacred  places,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  them 
as  the  true  ones.  There  is  nothing  about  them  that 
absolutely  forbids  their  being  such.  No  other  sites 
have  been  discovered,  answering  so  well  to  the  Divine 
Record.  These  have  been  almost  universally  regarded 
as  the  real  localities,  from  a  very  early  date.  The 
principal  objection  to  them  is  that  they  are  within  the 
present  city,  and  probably  were  within  the  city  when 
the  great  events  occurred.  But  a  discovery,  made  a 
few  days  before  I  was  in  Jerusalem,  tends  to  confirm 
the  traditional  sites  as  the  true  ones.  An  excavation 
had  been  made,  a  little  distance  southeast  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  and  after  reaching  a  depth  of  more  than 
twenty  feet,  a  portion  of  what  appears  to  be  an  old 
city  wall,  was  found.  After  a  personal  inspection  of 
its  large  beveled  stones,  its  thickness  and  its  direction, 


210  CALVARY. 

we  could  not  hesitate  in  regarding  it  as  a  portion  of 
the  wall  described  by  Joseplms  as  enclosing  that  part 
of  the  city.  If  so,  then  Calvary,  where  Jesns  suffered 
without  the  city  and  the  gate,  might  have  been 
exactly  where  tradition  places  it.  The  sepulchre  was  in 
a  garden  near  by,  or  as  John  says,  "  in  the  place  where 
He  was  crucified."  The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, a  very  large  edifice,  covers  both  Calvary  and 
the  Tomb.  It  contains  various  chapels,  and  is  occu- 
pied by  different  sects.  The  entrance  is  on  the  south 
side,  from  a  paved  court,  where  persons  are  selling 
beads  and  other  souvenirs  to  the  pilgrims.  A  motley 
crowd  are  within,  priests  and  pilgrims,  apparently 
from  all  the  world.  We  observe  a  number  of  persons 
kneeling  around  and  fervently  kissing  a  marble  slab 
elevated  a  little  above  the  floor.  This  Stone  of  Unc- 
tion is  said  to  be  that  on  which  the  body  of  Jesus, 
when  taken  down  from  the  cross,  was  laid  and  pre- 
pared for  burial.  At  the  right  of  this,  in  order 
to  reach  the  summit  of  Calvary,  we  ascend  a  flight  of 
eighteen  steps,  and  soon  come  to  an  altar  where  per- 
sons are  reverently  kneeling  at  the  place  where,  it  is 
affirmed,  the  cross  stood.  A  large  circular  silver  plate 
with  an  opening  in  the  centre  is  over  or  around  the 
spot;  and  putting  my  hand  through  it  and  into  the 
hole  where  the  cross  was  inserted,  I  could  feel  on  its 
sides  the  native  rock  ;  and  by  removing  a  board  near 
by  a  considerable  portion  of  the  rock  could  be  seen. 
Entering  an  apartment  below  at  the  base  of  the  rock 
I  saw  a  still  larger  portion  of  it  in  its  rough  state,  and 
noticed  a  perpendicular  fracture,  as  if  it  had  been  rent 
at  the  crucifixion.  All  around  this  rocky  Golgotha 


THE    HOLY   SEPULCHRE.  211 

are  numerous  little  chapels,  altars  and  stations  mark- 
ing events  and  positions  of  persons  at  tlie  time  of  the 
crucifixion.  You  are  shown  the  Chapel  of  Adam, 
enclosing  his  tomb  ;  the  Chapel  of  Helena,  with  the 
cave  where  she  found  the  cross,  nails,  and  crown  of 
thorns  ;  and  a  spot  called  the  Center  of  the  Earth. 
Caring  little  for  these  traditions  which  attract  the 
ignorant  and  superstitious,  I  was  yet  impressed  with 
the  reality  of  Calvary  itself  and  its  wonderful  scenes. 
This  may  be  the  true  locality ;  and  if  so,  here  stood 
the  cross  on  which  the  Lord  of  Life  hung  in  agony 
and  death.  What  a  mingled  throng  around  this  hill 
and  from  the  adjacent  wall  watched  the  strange 
drama — sorrowful  women  at  the  cross — priests  and 
soldiers  mocking,  and  passers-by  railing: — the  penitent 
thief  asking  and  receiving  the  remembrance  of  Jesus 
— the  beloved  disciple  catching  His  last  words  of 
affection — the  centurion,  impressed  by  the  darkness 
and  earthquake,  and  more  deeply  by  the  Dying  Vic- 
tim, exclaiming,  "Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God;" 
and  crowds  of  beholders  smiting  their  breasts  as  they 
retired  from  the  unparalleled  scene.  O  Calvary ! 
there  is  no  spot  like  thee — no  mountain-top  so  near 
heaven  as  thy  summit !  Thou  art  indeed  the  centre 
of  the  world. 

I  was  next  anxious  to  "  see  the  place  where  the 
Lord  lay  !"  The  Holy  Sepulchre  is  about  a  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  northwest  of  Calvary,  and  directly 
under  the  large  dome  of  the  Church.  For  its  protec- 
tion a  small  building  of  stone  has  been  erected  over 
it.  The  entrance  is  on  the  east,  where  the  little  Chapel 
of  the  Angel  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  vestibule  of  the 


212  THE    TOMB    OF   JESUS. 

Tomb,  which  is  entered  by  a  low  small  aperture. 
Stooping,  as  Peter  did  when  he  looked  into  it,  I  went 
through  the  door  and  could  then  stand  erect.  Four 
or  five  others  were  in  the  tomb,  some  of  them  kneel- 
ing and  kissing  the  marble  slab  that  covered  the  niche 
on  the  right  or  north  side,  an  altar-like  recess,  where 
the  body  of  our  Lord  was  laid.  A  Greek  priest  was 
standing  at  the  west  end  sprinkling  holy  water  on 
those  near  him,  and  giving  each  visitor  a  flower  from 
his  large  bouquet.  Over  the  sepulchral  couch  hung 
several  little  pictures  and  bas-reliefs  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  in  the  vaulted  ceiling  more  than  forty  lamps 
of  gold  and  silver  were  burning,  while  sweet  incense 
perfumed  the  air.  Notwithstanding  all  this  bedizen- 
ing array,  arid  the  constant  crowding  in  of  poor,  nlthy 
pilgrims  on  their  knees,  bowing  their  faces  to  the  cold 
marble,  and  dropping  their  tears  upon  it,  I  experi- 
enced a  feeling  of  awe  and  solemnity  that  words  can- 
not describe,  arising  from  the  reflection  that  possibly 
I  was  in  the  veritable  tomb  of  Jesus — into  which  Jo- 
seph and  Nicodemus  bore  His  mangled  body — where 
it  reposed  over  the  Sabbath — where  it  awoke  to  life — 
where  angels,  the  Marys,  and  apostles  had  been  !  It 
would  be  a  far  greater  satisfaction  to  behold  this 
"  garden  in  its  simpler  guise,"  like  that  on  the  slope 
of  Olivet. 

"  0,  if  the  lichen  now  were  free  to  twine 

O'er  the  dark  entrance  of  that  rock-hewn  cell, 

Say,  should  we  miss  the  gold-encrusted  shrine, 

Or  incense  fumes'  intoxicating  spell  ? 

Would  not  the  whispering  breeze  as  evening  fell, 

Make  deeper  music  in  the  palm-trees'  shade, 

Than  choral  prayer  or  chanted  ritual's  swell. 

Can  the  proud  shafts  of  Helena's  colonnade 
Match  thy  time-hallowed  stems,  Gethsemane's  holy  glade  ?" 


XVIII. 

Jt  »J!t  gto«t  Hm— 


AFTER  leaving  the  Church,  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
where  the  various  sects  were  holding  services  amid 
the  confusion  of  motley  throngs,  and  under  the 
blazonry  of  gilded  altars,  images,  and  burning  candles, 
I  went  to  a  synagogue  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Mount 
Zion.  The  large  irregular  building,  having  a  main 
audience-room  and  adjoining  apartments,  was  well 
filled  with  old  men,  young  men  and  boys  ;  and  the 
services  of  the  day  —  it  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath  — 
were  proceeding.  A  person  occupying  a  seat  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  room,  was  addressing  the  assembly 
in  an  earnest  and  fluent  manner.  Near  the  middle 
of  the  room  there  was  an  elevated  platform,  enclosed 
by  a  railing,  occupied  by  half-a-dozen  Kabbis,  vener- 
able looking  men.  In  the  galleries  above,  and  behind 
lattices,  the  faces  and  forms  of  women  could  be  dimly 
seen.  These,  I  suppose,  were  the  younger  women,  as  I 
noticed  a  number  of  elderly  females  sitting  on  the  steps 
and  seats  outside  of  a  door,  not  far  from  the  speaker. 
Most  of  the  worshipers  had  books,  and  occasionally 
made  mumbling  responses  during  the  service,  and 
sometimes  nodded  their  assent  to  what  was  said.  The 
preacher  finished  his  discourse  in  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes,  and  then  rose  and  offered  a  prayer,  which 


214:  A   SYNAGOGUE — W AILING-PLACE. 

he  uttered  rapidly  with  his  face  turned  to  the  wall. 
A  copy  of  the  Law  was  now  taken  from  a  recess  and 
carried  in  a  small  procession  around  the  congregation 
who  seemed  to  regard  it  with  great  reverence,  and  some 
even  kissed  the  vesture  that  enclosed  it.  The  chant- 
i^g  was  general,  but  not  very  musical.  Indeed, 
scarcely  anything  there  seemed  like  devotion.  The 
assembly  was  listless  and  inattentive.  Many  of  the 
men,  with  their  flowing  garments,  tarbushes  or  hats, 
and  long  gray  beards,  had  a  dignified  and  solemn 
aspect;  but  their  features  were  hard  and  stoical- 
heartless  men  they  seemed,  and  ready,  if  Jesus  were 
there,  to  say  as  did  their  ancestors,  "  Away  with 
him  ;  crucify  him  !" 

Not  far  from  here,  in  the  Tyropoean,  at  the  base  of 
an  ancient  wall,  the  western  boundary  of  the  Temple 
area,  is  the  Wall  ing-Place  of  the  Jews,  where  they 
come  every  Friday  afternoon,  to  lament  over  the  ruins 
of  their  Temple.  It  is  an  old  custom,  and  a  piteous 
spectacle,  to  see  them  with  mournful  prayers  and 
solemn  wailings,  pressing  their  foreheads  and  lips  to 
those  venerable  stones,  that  might  once  have  been  in 
the  foundation  of  their  ancient  Sanctuary.  They 
take  up  the  prayer  of  Isaiah,  and  in  their  Hebrew 
tongue  pour  it  out  in  sad  strains :  "  Be  not  wroth 
very  sore,  O  Lord!  neither  remember  iniquity  for- 
ever ;  behold,  see,  we  beseech  thee,  we  are  all  thy 
people.  Thy  holy  cities  are  a  wilderness-;  Zion  is  a 
wilderness  ;  Jerusalem  is  a  desolation.  Our  holy  and 
our  beautiful  house,  where  our  fathers  praised  thee,  is 
burned  up  with  fire ;  and  all  our  pleasant  things  are 
laid  waste."  Large  numbers  of  men  and  women,  and 


WAILING   PLACE   OF    THE    JEWS. 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


QUARTER.  215 

wandering  Jews  from  all  the  earth,  come  and  drop 
their  tears  at  this  place  of  wailing.  It  was  raining  and 
muddy  when  I  was  there,  and  only  a  few  were  pre- 
sent. 

<c  Oh !  weep  for  those  that  wept  by  Babel's  stream  ; 

Whose  shrines  are  desolate,  whose  land's  a  dream  ; 

Weep  for  the  harp  of  Judah's  broken  shell ; 

Mourn — where  their  God  hath  dwelt  the  godless  dwell." 

A  little  south  of  this  spot,  cind  in  a  portion  of  the 
same  ancient  wall,  there  is  a  remarkable  ruin,  discov- 
ered and  described  some  years  ago  by  Dr.  Kobinson. 
It  is  the  spring  of  a  great  arch,  composed  of  immense 
hewn  stones,  and  supposed  to  be  a  portion  of  the 
grand  bridge  over  the  Tyropoean,  connecting  Mount 
Zion  with  the  Temple.  May  not  this  wonderful  bridge 
have  been  "  the  ascent  by  which  Solomon  went  up  to 
the  house  of  the  Lord,"  and  which  so  excited  the 
astonishment  of  the  queen  of  Sheba  ?  A  personal 
inspection  of  these  prodigious  stones  convinces  you 
of  their  great 'antiquity  and  of  the  sublime  vastness 
of  the  structure  of  which  they  are  the  remains. 
What  grandeur  and  glory  once  crowned  Moriah  and 
Zion!  Over  this  magnificent  passage  the  people  of 
God  were  wont  to  go  to  their  holy  Sanctuary.  Solo- 
mon and  his  royal  successors,  mighty  kings  and 
princes  of  Israel,  proceeded  across  it  in  state  to  pay 
their  vows  to  the  Lord.  On  this  bridge,  perhaps  over 
this  remaining  segment  of  the  arch,  Titus  stood  and 
plead  with  the  Jews  in  the  Temple  to  submit  to  the 
conquering  arms  of  Rome. 

The  Jews  still  cling  to  the  eastern  slope  of  Zion. 
Their  houses  are  small  and  gloomy,  and  the  narrow 


216  LEPEKS — CONVENT — TOMB    OF   DAVID. 

streets  are  so  filthy  that  in  passing  you  hold  your 
breath  and  hasten  your  steps.  Here  too,  near  the 
southern  wall,  is  the  Quarter  assigned  to  the  lepers. 
Poor,  miserable,  and  horrid  caricatures  or  fragments 
of  humanity,  why  should  they  be  perpetuated  through 
succeeding  generations?  But  a  sight  of  them. recalls 
many  a  Scripture  scene  and  incident.  You  see  their 
diseased  and  mutilated  forms  by  the  wayside,  and  hear 
their  piteous  cries  for  charity.  At  night  they  creep 
into  their  little  huts  among  old  mounds  of  rubbish 
that  has  been  accumulating  for  centuries. 

Going  out  of  the  city  at  Zion  Gate,  near  the  sum- 
mit of  that  sacred  mountain,  we  soon  come  to  a  build- 
ing enclosed  by  a  high  wall.  It  is  called  the  Palace 
of  the  High  Priest  Caiaphas,  and  is  occupied  as  an 
Armenian  church  or  convent.  We  are  admitted  by  a 
t  priest,  who  shows  us,  under  the  altar,  what  is  said  to 
be  the  veritable  stone  that  once  closed  our  Lord's 
Sepulchre.  The  prison  where  He  was  confined  is  next 
pointed  out. 

A  little  south  of  this  building,  is  the  Mosque  of  the 
Tomb  of  David.  There  is  no  doubt  that  David  was 
buried  on  Mount  Zion,  and  this  building  is  said  to 
cover  his  grave.  But  the  Moslems  will  not  permit  us 
to  visit  the  royal  vault.  We  are  admitted  into  the 
Coenaculum,  however,  and  shown  a  large,  lone,  cheer- 
less "  upper  room,"  in  which,  according  to  tradition, 
our  Saviour  celebrated  the  Passover  and  instituted  the 
Supper.  Here  He  washed  the  feet  of  His  disciples. 
Here  the  apostles  were  assembled  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, and  were  miraculously  endowed  with  the  gift 
of  tongues. 


AMERICAN    CEMETEKY A    WALK.  217 

A  short  distance  to  the  northwest  is  the  American 
Cemetery.  Climbing  up  a  corner  of  its  high  wall,  I 
saw  a  row  of  graves  in  the  little  enclosure,  where  a 
few  missionaries  and  travelers  have  mingled  their 
dust  with  that  of  kings  and  patriarchs  on  Mount 
Zion. 

The  Christian  Sabbath  dawns.  It  is  a  lovely 
morning,  and  the  bright  sun,  rising  over  Olivet,  gilds 
the  dome  that  covers  the  empty  tomb  of  Jesus.  A 
Lord's-Day  in  Jerusalem  is  a  sweet  memory  forever ! 
A  few  of  us  had  arranged  for  an  early  walk.  Passing 
out  at  the  Bethlehem  Gate,  we  went  down  the  western 
slope  of  Zion  into  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  which 
encompasses  nearly  half  the  city,  belting  it  on  the 
west  and  south.  We  crossed  to  the  opposite  slope 
near  the  Lower  Pool  of  Gihon,  a  reservoir  of  immense 
capacity,  being  about  six  hundred  feet  long  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  broad,  and  is  probably  the  same  as 
mentioned  in  Isaiah  :  "  Ye  gathered  together  the  wa- 
ters of  the  lower  pool."  The  massive  city  wall  at  its 
south-western  angle,  crowning  the  lofty  brow  of  Zion, 
shows  finely  from  this  position.  Continuing  our  course 
amidst  stone  fences  and  patches  of  cultivated  ground 
interspersed  with  olive  trees,  we  soon  turned  with  the 
valley  to  the  east.  We  passed  on  our  right  ridges  of 
rock,  along  the  steep  declivity  in  which  here  and 
there  tombs  had  been  cut.  Reaching  a  commanding 
position,  we  sat  down  to  rest  under  "  the  shadow  of  a 
great  rock,"  with  our  faces  toward  Zion.  Behind  and 
above  us  is  Aceldama  and  the  Hill  of  Evil  Council 
where  Judas  made  his  shameful  bargain  and  came  to 
his  terrible  end.  Before  us,  lofty  and  bold,  rises 

10 


218  VALLEY    OF    HINNOM EN-ROGEL. 

Mount  Zion.  The  portion  of  it  in  view  is  now,  accor- 
ding to  fulfilled  prophecy,  "  plowed  as  a  field,"  though 
it  was  once  all  covered  with  palaces  and  dwellings. 

The  valley  deepens  as  it  descends  eastward  to  its 
junction  at  En-Kogel  with  that  of  Jehoshaphat.  Its 
topography  is  accurately  marked  where  it  is  first 
mentioned  in  Joshua  in  the  description  of  the  boun- 
dary line  between  Judah  and  Benjamin:  "The  border 
went  up  by  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom  unto  the 
south  side  of  the  Jebusite,  the  same  is  Jerusalem ; 
and  the  border  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain 
that  lieth  before  the  valley  of  Hinnom  westward." 
Down  in  the  vale  before  us  were  once  celebrated  the 
horrid  rites  of  Moloch  under  Judah's  idolatrous  kings. 
"They  built/5  says  Jeremiah,  "the  high  places  of 
Tophet,  which  is  in  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom, to 
burn  their  sons  and, their  daughters  in  the  fire."  The 
lower  part  of  the  vale  where  the  brazen  image  stood 
was  well  adapted  for  the  scenes  of  such  a  cruel  and 
terrible  fanaticism.  It  is  a  deep  wild  glen,  with  bare 
and  frowning  cliffs  and  mountain  sides  above.  "  One 
cannot  but  shudder,  as  sitting  in  the  opening  of  some 
dark  tomb,  or  beneath  the  gnarled  boughs  of  some  old 
olive,  he  reads  its  fearful  history."  In  allusion -to  this 
abominable  practice,  or  to  the  circumstance  that  the 
refuse  and  filth  of  the  city  were  cast  in  here  to  be  con- 
sumed with  unceasing  fires,  the  later  Jews  regarded 
this  Gehenna  as  the  symbol  of  future  punishment. 

After  singing  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion,  we  went 
down  to  the  Well  of  En.-Kogel,  which  is  walled  around 
and  arched  over  with  ancient  masonry  and  enclosed 
by  a  small  building  containing  watering-troughs.  An 


JEHOSHAPHAT'S  VALE — POOL  OF  SILOAM.         219 

Arab  drew  us  some  of  the  fresh  cool  water.  It  was 
by  this  well  that  Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz,  David's  ser- 
vants, waited  for  instructions  from  Hushai  during 
Absalom's  rebellion;  and  here  Adonijah,  another  son 
of  David,  assembled  his  friends  when  he  aspired  to  be 
king  in  his  father's  stead. 

We  now  turn  northward,  and  following  up  the  bed 
of  the  Kedron,  we  ascend  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
lying  east  of  Jerusalem  and  separating  it  from  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  We  soon  pass  a  cultivated  and 
verdant  spot  sprinkled  with  trees,  and  where  cucum- 
bers, onions  and  other  vegetables  are  growing.  This  is 
the  site  of  "  the  King's  Garden,"  mentioned  by  Nehe- 
iniah.  It  is  watered  by  streams  from  the  Pool  of 
Siloam,  a  most  interesting  fountain  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  valley.  It  is  a  rectangular  reservoir  fifty- 
three  feet  long,  eighteen  wide  and  nineteen  deep.  I 
descended  its  stone  staircase  to  the  clear  water,  and 
thought  of  the  blind  man  whom  our  blessed  Lord 
commanded  "  to  go  and  wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam. 
He  went  his  way,  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came 
seeing."  Eehemiah  says  Shallum  built  "  the  wall  of 
the  pool  of  Siloah  by  the  king's  garden,"  and  Isaiah 
speaks  of  "the  waters  of  Siloah  that  flow  softly." 
This  Pool  is  connected  by  an  under-ground  pas- 
sage with  another  some  distance  to  the  north  of 
it,  called  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  on  the  side 
of  the  hill  Ophel.  Here  several  women  were  washing 
clothes,  from  one  of  whom  I  procured  an  ancient 
coin,  probably  a  Roman  penny.  How  interesting,  if 
it  were  the  one  shown  to  our  Saviour,  when  He 
inquired,  "  Whose  image  and  superscription  hath  it  ?" 


220  OLD    STONES TOMBS    IN    THE    VALLEY. 

Perched  on  a  high  cliff  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
valley,  is  the  little  village  of  Siloam,  its  houses  in  one 
place  clinging  to  the  rocks,  and  in  another  half  buried 
in  the  tombs.  Our  blessed  Lord  alludes  to  this  place 
in  speaking  of  "  those  eighteen  on  whom  the  tower  of 
Siloam  fell  and  slew  them." 

We  soon  reach  the  south-eastern  angle  of  the  city 
wall,  and  are  eagerly  inspecting  its  ancient  foundation- 
stones,  great  and  beveled,  laid  very  likely  in  Solo- 
mon's time,  and  were  a  part  of  the  wall  enclosing  the 
Temple.  We  cannot  survey  these  venerable  relics  of 
the  past,  and  think  of  the  eyes  that  have  looked  upon 
them,  and  recall  the  histories  they  awaken,  without 
feeling  that  there  are  "  sermons  in  stones." 

In  the  deep  valley  below,  between  JVIoriah  and 
Olivet,  are  the  remarkable  and  massive  tombs  of 
Zachariah,  St.  James  and  Absalom.  They  are  not 
properly  excavations,  but  large  monuments,  having 
vaults  within,  and  from  which  the  surrounding  rock 
has  been  hewn  away.  The  "  Pillar"  of  Absalom  has 
considerable  architectural  beauty,  marred  somewhat 
however  by  the  natives'  throwing  stones  upon  it  in 
contempt  of  the  rebel  son.  Adjoining  this  is  the  tomb 
of  Jehoshaphat.  Above  these  sepulchral  monuments 
that  have  probably  not  materially  changed  since  the 
days  of  our  Saviour,  an  extensive  Jewish  Cemetery 
occupies  a  portion  of  the  slope  of  Olivet.  The  graves 
are  marked  by  flat  stones  laid  over  them.  For  many 
centuries  the  sons  of  Abraham  have  sought  this  spot 
as  their  last  resting-place.  Many  of  them  have  jour- 
neyed from  the  ends  of  the  earth  that  they  might  die 
in  the  Holy  City  and  have  their  dust  laid  here  in  the 


ABSALOM'S    TOMB    (RESTOKED). 


GOLDEN    GATE — ENGLISH    CHURCH.  221 

valley  of  Jeliosbapliat,  where  they  believe  the  Mes- 
siah will  stand  and  summon  the  dead  in  the  resurrec- 
tion. Then  those  who  sleep  here  will  rise  at  once, 
while  those  who  have  been  elsewhere  buried  can  only 
reach  this  favored  spot  by  a  painful  under-ground 
journey.  The  Moslems  have  appropriated  this  tradi- 
tion, and  point  to  a  projecting  stone,  in  the  city  wall 
east  of  their  great  mosque  and  near  their  own  cemetery, 
on  which  Mohammed  is  to  sit  and  participate  in  the 
events  of  the  final  day.  Back  of  the  Jewish  burying- 
ground  and  further  up  the  slope  of  Olivet,  aie  the 
Tombs  of  the  Prophets.  A  circular,  cistern-like  en- 
trance leads  down  to  the  various  subterranean  pas- 
sages and  vaults. 

Again  we  are  under  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city, 
and  lingering  at  the  Golden  Gate  once  leading  to  the 
Temple  area  and  perhaps  to  Solomon's  porch.  It  is 
now  solidly  closed  with  stone,  but  its  ornately  sculp- 
tured abutments  and  beautiful  arches  remain,  and 
cannot  fail  to  attract  special  attention  when  we  think 
of  the  feet  that  have  pressed  hither  in  the  sacred 
past.  Proceeding  northward  among  a  great  variety 
of  upright  monuments  in  the  Moslem  Cemetery,  we 
soon  enter  the  city  at  St.  Stephen's  Gate. 

Refreshed  by  our  morning  walk,  we  were  prepared 
to  enjoy  a  religious  service  in  the  forenoon  at  the 
English  church,  situated  on  Mount  Zion,  near  the 
Castle  of  David  and  the  Bethlehem  Gate.  It  is  a 
plain,  inviting  edifice  of  mixed  Gothic,  built  of  light 
hewn  stone,  and  will  seat  some  four  hundred  persons. 
A  respectable  audience  was  in  attendance,  and  a  good 


222  A   WALK    TO    BETHANY. 

sermon  was  preached  by  Bishop  Gobat,  from  Phil.  ii. 
5—11. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  another  delightful  walk  to 
Bethany,  the  home  of  Martha  and  Mary  and  their 
brother  Lazarus,  a  place  of  sweet  and  sacred  mem- 
ories, and  honored  by  the  frequent  visits  of  our  bles- 
sed Lord.  "We  went  over  the  Mount  of  Olives  by  the 
northern  path,  the  same  doubtless  which  David  took 
after  the  rebellion  of  Absalom.  The  sorrowful  king 
"  went  over  the  brook  Kedron  toward  the  way  of  the 
wilderness,  and  went  up  the  ascent  of  Olivet  and 
wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head  covered  and 
lie  went  barefoot ;"  and  a  weeping  train  followed  with 
their  heads  also  covered  with  earth.  Jesus  had  often 
taken  this  same  path  to  Bethany.  We  pause  on  the 
summit  to  enjoy  again  the  extensive  prospects  it  com- 
mands, and  then  descend  its  southeastern  slope. 
Bethany,  situated  on  that  slope,  is  not  seen  at  first, 
being  hidden  by  an  intervening  ridge,  where  the  vil- 
lage appears  below,  partly  embowered  in  groves  of 
olive  and  fig-trees.  Is  not  this  ridge  or  swell  on  the 
Mount,  the  place  of  our  Saviour's  ascension?  It 
would  seem  So  from  its  position,  its  distance  from  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  circumstances  of  the  sacred  narrative. 

Bethany  is  a  small  village  of  about  twenty  houses, 
built  of  stone,  but  having  a  neglected  appearance. 
It  is  situated  in  a  shallow  vale  on  a  broken  plateau 
of  rock  environed  with  fruit  trees  which  give  it  some- 
thing of  pleasantness  and  beauty.  Some  prominent 
ruins  are  pointed  out  as  the  house  of  Lazarus  and  his 
sisters,  and  not  far  from  it,  that  of  Simon  the  leper. 
We  are  next  directed  to  the  tomb  of  Lazarus,  at  the 


TOMB    OF   LAZARUS — OLIVET.  223 

northern  extremity  of  the  village  on  the  side  of  a 
declivity.  It  is  a  cave  that  a  stone  might  cover.  I 
descended  into  it  by  a  number  of  steps,  and  was 
shown  the  vault  where  the  body  of  Lazarus  is  said  to 
have  lain.  Seated  around  the  opening  of  the  tomb, 
I  read  to  our  company  the  eleventh  chapter  of  John. 
The  reading  of  that  inimitable  narrative  there,  seemed 
almost  to  reproduce  the  touching,  tender,  and  sublime 
scenes  of  the  great  miracle,  and  to  impress  us  deeply 
with  the  blessed  sympathy  of  Him  who  wept  as  a 
friend,  and  with  His  glorious  Divinity  as  being  "  the 
Resurection  and  the  Life." 

We  returned  by  the  road  leading  over  the  southern 
shoulder  of  Olivet — the  great  thoroughfare  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Jericho — the  same  path  along  which  Jesus 
passed  on  his  triumphal  entry  to  the  city,  when  palm 
branches  and  garments  were  spread  in  his  way.  The 
road  climbs  the  hill  till  it  reaches  a  point  where  the 
southern  portion  of  Zion  appears  in  view,  on  which 
stood  the  Palace  of  David  ;  and  there  doubtless  the 
shout  of  the  multitude  burst  forth — "  Hosanna  to  the 
Son  of  David  !  Blessed  be  the  King  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  !"  Then  the  road  descends  a 
little,  and  the  city  is  hidden  from  sight ;  presently  it 
mounts  again,  and  passing  a  ledge  of  rocks — the  stones 
that  would  cry  out  if  the  people  held  their  peace — the 
whole  city  at  once  bursts  into  view — a  glorious 
vision,  nowhere  so  complete  as  at  that  spot.  Then  it 
was  that  Jesus,  coming  near,  "  beheld  the  city  and 
wept  over  it."  How  vivid  and  impressive  all  this 
seemed  as  by  the  natural  features  of  the  place  and  the 
inspired  narrative  we  could  trace  step  by  step  the 


224:  PREACHING    ON    MOUNT   ZION. 

progress  of  the  great  procession  !  As  we  descend  the 
Mount,  a  few  fig-trees  by  the  way  remind  us  of  the 
one  that  withered  there  under  the  Lord's  curse.  How 
delightful  was  this  walk  to  Bethany,  over  ground  that 
our  blessed  Saviour  had  so  often  trod  !  How  sweet 
to  visit  the  village  where  He  found  loving  friends  and 
a  welcome  home  after  the  toils  of  many  a  weary  day, 
and  to  linger  amid  scenes  hallowed  by  His  Divine 
works  and  gracious  words,  and  by  the  gentle  minis- 
trations of  those  who  loved  to  sit  at  His  feet ! 

Werheld  a  religious  service  in  the  evening,  and  by 
request,  I  preached  in  the  large  "  upper  room"  of  our 
hotel.  Above  twenty  Americans  were  present,  and  a 
few  English  and  Scotch.  The  place,  the  circumstances, 
and  the  memorable  localities  near  us,  rendered  the 
occasion  one  of  deep  and  thrilling  interest.  The  pre- 
liminary services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  R.  B. 
Booth,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  Stamford, 
Conn. ;  Rev.  W.  C.  Child,  of  Boston,  led  the  singing  ;* 
and  Rev.  R.  B.  Welch,  of  Catskill,  K  Y.,  a  minister 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  offered  the  closing 
prayer.  With  Olivet  and  Gethsemane  immediately 
before  me,  and  Calvary  and  the  Sepulchre  almost 
within  the  sound  of  my  voice,  I  could  preach  of  Jesus 
only — His  incarnation,  teaching,  works,  sufferings, 
death,  resurrection  and  intercession.  The  hymns  we 
sung  were — "  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name," 
"  When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross,"  and  "  Jerusalem, 
my  glorious  home  !"  That  precious  Christian  Sabbath 
in  Jerusalem  will  long  be  remembered. 


XIX. 

0f  Suftarum— f  ill  fetrfrjj— f  tort. 

I  CANNOT  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem !  There  are 
other  hallowed  places,  within  and  without  thy  gates, 
around  which  I  would  love  to  linger.  But  I  leave 
them  for  a  few  days,  for  a  deeply  interesting  excur- 
sion to  Hebron  and  Bethlehem,  the  Dead  Sea  and  the 
Jordan — places  with  which  are  associated  sweet,  sad 
and  holy  memories.  It  was  somewhat  late  Monday 
morning,  after  the  preliminaries  of  getting  ready — 
sending  off  the  muleteers  with  baggage,  and  selecting 
our  horses — that  we  passed  out  at  the  Jaffa  or  Beth- 
lehem Gate,  and  our  numerous  caravan,  as  two  or 
three  parties  accompanied  us,  wound  along  down  the 
upper  part  of  the  Valley  of  Ilinnom,  and  crossed  it  at 
the  margin  of  the  Lower  Pool  of  Gihon  where  we 
struck  perhaps  the  boundary  line  between  Judah  and 
Benjamin.  Ascending  the  opposite  slope,  we  passed 
on  our  right,  a  fine  large  stone  edifice,  nearly  com- 
pleted, designed  as  a  hospital  for  Jews,  and  built 
mainly  through  the  munificence  of  the  late  Judah 
Touro,  an  American  Jew. 

We  had  now  reached  the  Hill  of  Evil  Council,  on 
whose  summit,  at  our  left,  are  some  ruins,  said  to  be 
those  of  the  country-seat  of  Caiaphas,  where  Judas 
arranged  and  received  the  money  for  the  betrayal, 

*10 


226       HILL    OF    EVIL    COUNCIL WELL   OF   THE   MAGI. 

and  where  Jesus  was  taken  before  Annas,  after  his  ap- 
prehension at  Gethsemane.  A  lone  wind-shaken  olive 
tree  marks  the  place  where  the  traitor  hanged  him- 
self. 

Down  in  the  valley  on  our  right,  we  see  'Ain  Karim, 
the  birthplace  of  John  the  Baptist.  Around  us  are 
several  fields  enclosed  by  wall-fences,  and  showing 
evidences  of  intelligent  cultivation.  Within,  a  few 
years  considerable  land  has  been  bought  up  by  Jews, 
and  others,  who  have  come  to  this  city  to  cultivate  the 
long-neglected  soil,  and  already  the  desolate  hills  and 
plains  are  beginning  to  bloom.  Remarkable  events 
are  transpiring  in  this  Holy  Land,  and  among  them 
the  return  of  Jews  to  possess  their  ancient  homes,  is  a 
significant  sign.  Looking  back  from  the  Hill,  we 
have  quite  a  good  view,  from  the  south,  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  western  slope  of  Olivet. 

Proceeding  on,  we  are  soon  at  the  Well  of  the  Wise 
Men,  surrounded  by  loose  stones,  and  in  the  center  of 
our  path.  Tradition  says  that  when  the  wise  men  de- 
parted from  Herod,  they  wandered  to  this  spot  in  un- 
certainty ;  but  stopping  to  draw  and  drink  at  the  well, 
they  saw  reflected  in  its  clear  water  their  guiding 
star.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  interesting  to  think 
that  this  is  the  very  path  which  the  Eastern  Magi  must 
have  taken,  as  they  went  from  the  court  of  Herod  to 
the  presence  of  the  new-born  King  in  the  manger  of 
Bethlehem  ;  and  over  this  path  appeared  the  strange 
star  which  they  had  seen  in  the  East,  and  it  "  went 
before  them,  till  it  came  and  stood  over  where  the 
young  child  was.  When  they  saw  the  star,  they  re- 
joiced with  exceeding  great  joy." 


PLAIN    OF   KEPHALM CONVENT   OF    ELIJAH.  227 

A  fertile  plain  now  opens  before  us,  gradually  slop- 
ing to  the  right,  or  southwest,  till  about  a  mile  distant 
it  terminates  in  a  deep  narrow  valley,  Wady  el-Werd, 
or  Yalley  of  Hoses.  This  is  the  Plain  of  Rephaim, 
where  David  conquered  the  Philistines  in  several  bat- 
tles. In  Joshua  it  is  called  "the  Yalley  of  the 
Giants  "  David  came  out  from  his  fortress  on  Mount 
Zion,  against  the  enemy  here,  by  Divine  direction, 
and  with  the  assurance  of  victory.  Here  stood  the 
mulberry  trees,  where  he  was  to  "  fetch  a  compass  be- 
hind" the  Philistines,  and  rush  forth  and  overpower 
them  at  the  appointed  signal.  "  And  let  it  be,  when 
tliou  nearest  the  sound  of  a  going  in  the  tops  of  the 
mulberry  trees,  that  then  thou  shalt  bestir  thyself ; 
for  then  shall  the  Lord  go  out  before  thee  to  smite  the 
hosts  of  the  Philistines." 

At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  plain  we  come  to 
the  Convent  of  Elijah,  a  massive  pile,  or  gray  lime- 
stone edih'ce,  inclosed  by  a  wall.  The  monks  have  a 
tradition,  contrary  to  Scripture,  however,  that  here 
Elijah  rested  after  his  flight  from  Jezebel. 

Passing  over  the  brow  of  an  eminence  to  a  region 
of  lofty  hills  and  deep  valleys,  we  see  on  our  left, 
about  a  mile  distant,  Bethlehem,  the  birth-place  of 
our  beloved  Saviour.  O  favored  eyes,  to  look  upon 
these  sacred  localities  !  There  are  the  fields  and  hill- 
sides where  the  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by 
night,  and  heard  the  heavenly  songs  and  the  glad 
tidings.  Bethlehem  is  finely  situated  on  the  summit 
of  a  terraced  ridge,  dotted  with  the  olive,  vine  and 
fig.  We  long  to  hasten  to  it,  but  are  to  pass  through 
it  on  our  return  to-morrow. 


228 

A  few  minutes  further  bring  us  to  a  deeply  interest- 
ing spot — the  Tomb  of  Rachel — a  place  regarded  by 
all  authorities  as  the  one  where  she  died  and  was 
buried.  A  small  square  building  of  stone,  plastered 
white,  surmounted  by  a  dome,  and  standing  close  by 
the  road-side,  designates  the  sacred  shrine.  These 
"  whited  sepulchres"  of  distinguished  persons  are  fre- 
quently seen,  generally  on  the  side  or  top  of  a  hill. 
We  dismounted  and  entered  the  building,  where  we 
saw  something  like  an  inclosed  sarcophagus  written 
over  with  visitors'  names.  It  is  a  comparatively  mod- 
ern structure,  but  the  authenticity  of  the  site  being 
unquestioned,  we  lingered  a  little  while  with  deep  in- 
terest, and  read  from  the  Bible  the  touching  account 
of  Rachel's  death.  Mraiy  years  after  that  sorrowful 
event — for  here  Benjamin  wTas  born- — when  Jacob  was 
nigh  unto  death  in  Egypt,  he  thus  tenderly  refers  to  it 
in  the  presence  of  his  and  Rachel's  son,  Joseph  :  "  As 
for  me,  when  I  came  from  Padan,  Rachel  died  by  me 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the  way,  when  yet  there 
was  but  a  little  way  to  come  unto  Ephrath ;  and  I 
buried  her  there  in  the  way  of  Ephrath  ;  the  same  is 
Bethlehem." 

Descending  into  a  valley,  we  soon  reached  the 
Pools  of  Solomon — three  immense  open  tanks  or  reser- 
voirs, stretching  away  at  our  left,  partly  hid  at  first  by 
a  large  rectangular  old  khan  or  castle.  These  remark- 
able Pools,  excavated  in  part  from  the  rocky  bed  of 
the  valley,  and  in  part  built  up  of  stone  masonry,  are 
so  arranged  on  different  grades,  that  the  second  might 
be  emptied  into  the  third,  and  the  first  into  the  second, 
evidently  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  much  water. 


THE  FOUNTAIN  SEALED.  229 

They  are  rectangular-shaped,  varying  in  size  from  four 
hundred  to  six  hundred  feet  in  length,  about  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  in  width,  and  from  thirty  to  fifty 
in  depth,  all  containing  clear  water.  After  lunch  un- 
der the  shadow  of  the  old  castle  and  near  a  well-like 
opening  leading  down  to  rushing  and  roaring  streams 
through  vaulted  chambers  of  stone  work,  I  walked 
about  the  Pools,  and  in  the  middle  one  took  a  refresh- 
ing bath.  They  are  supplied  by  a  large  fountain  some 
forty  rods  to  the  northwest,  but  flowing  under  ground, 
the  water  is  not  seen  till  it  reaches  the  well. 

If  Solomon  built  these  stupendous  works,  and  such 
I  believe  is  the  general  verdict,  then  this  well  may 
have  been  the  "  fountain  sealed,"  to  which  in  his  Song 
he  compares  the  sister  spouse,  and  the  "  garden 
enclosed"  may  have  occupied  the  intervening  space 
down  to  the  first  pool.  Here  were  his  country-seats 
and  pleasure-grounds,  as  described  by  himself:  "I 
made  me  great  works  ;  I  builded  me  houses ;  I  planted 
me  vineyards ;  I  made  me  gardens  and  orchards,  and 
I  planted  trees  in  them  of  all  kinds  of  fruits  ;  I 
made  me  pools  of  water,  to  water  therewith  the  wood 
that  bringeth  forth  trees."  The  site  was  admirably 
chosen,  only  six  or  seven  miles  from  Jerusalem,  in  a 
region  finely  diversified  with  glens  and  hills  and  foun- 
tains, and  the  soil  capable  of  the  highest  and  most 
blooming  fruitfulness.  The  hill-slopes  around  these 
relics  of  the  old  and  solemn  past,  now  for  the  most 
part  rocky  and  bare,  have  the  appearance  of  once  be- 
ing terraced  and  cultivated  to  their  very  summits. 

As  I  look  over  the  prospect  and  recall  the  past, 
what  splendid  pictures,  what  regal  forms,  what  varied 


230  A    CONTRAST. 

scenes  and  striking  contrasts  rise  and  glow  and  pass 
and  fade  !  The  imagination  is  burdened  with  the  gor- 
geous vision,  as  the  whole  scene  reappears  as  it  was 
when  Solomon  was  in  all  his  glory.  His  boundless 
wealth,  and  his  matchless  wisdom  and  skill  crowned 
the  hills,  and  adorned  these  vales  with  enchanting 
beauty  and  luxuriant  loveliness.  Here  were  the 
blended  glories  of  nature  and  art — all  kinds  of  fruit- 
trees  robed  in  verdure  and  bloom,  and  ripened  trea- 
sures of  gold  and  crimson — vines  creeping  up  to  the 
summits  of  the  terraced  hills,  and  bending  with  the 
white  and  purple  clusters — shade-trees  and  flowers 
adorning  the  winding  walks,  along  which  streams 
murmured  and  fountains  played — bird-songs  in  the 
tree-tops,  and  music  from  instruments  and  human 
voices  in  the  groves  and  the  villas  and  mansions 
crowning  the  summits  or  dotting  the  slopes — and  then 
comes  the  king  himself  in  gorgeous  splendor,  with  a 
magnificent  retinue — and  mirth  and  melody,  feasting 
and  dancing,  beauty  and  revelry  are  in  those  brilliant 
abodes  of  wealth  and  pleasure.  Ah,  Solomon !  thou 
art  making  the  grand  experiment  of  all  this  world  can 
do  or  give  to  satisfy  man's  longing,  boundless  nature. 
O  thou  wisest  of  men — and  most  foolish  too — what  is 
thy  solution  of  the  great  problem,  that  has  so  engaged 
the  attention  of  all  ages  ?  "  Vanity  of  vanities ;  all  is 
vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

Years  pass — and  the  old  king  is  led  a  silly  captive 
into  foolishness  and  idolatry.  He  goes  down  to  the 
grave.  The  voices  of  mirth  are  hushed ;  the  sound 
of  revelry  has  died  away.  The  villas  and  halls  in 
which  so  many  feasted  and  rejoiced,  have  decayed, 


"  HILL    COUNTRY   OF   JUDEA."  231 

fallen,  and  mingled  with  the  dust.  The  vineyards 
have  died  on  the  hillsides.  The  groves,  orchards  and 
gardens  have  disappeared.  The  olive,  the  orange,  the 
pomegranate  and  the  fig — fruits  and  flowers — walks 
and  fountains — all  have  faded  away,  and  only  the 
bare  and  rocky  slopes,  with  these  stupendous  pools — 
relics  on  which  the  storms  of  more  than  twenty-five 
centuries  have  beat— remain  to  suggest,  by  desolate 
contrast,  the  ancient  beauty  and  grandeur  over  whose 
sad  blight  and  death,  the  "  fountain  sealed"  still  mur- 
murs its  lone  and  solemn  requiem. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  resumed  our  journey. 
For  some  three  hours  there  is  nothing  of  special 
interest  to  observe,  except  a  continual  succession 
of  hills  and  valleys,  mostly  bare  and  rocky.  Lime- 
stone ridges,  gray  and  dingy,  crop  out  from  their 
sides  and  crown  their  summits.  Narrow  glens 
run  in  tortuous  courses  through  the  wilderness  to  the 
Dead  Sea,  lying  directly  east  of  us,  but  out  of  sight. 
Dwarf  oak,  arbutus,  and  other  shrubbery,  very  scan- 
tily robe  the  hills.  There  are  no  forests.  Gay  wild 
flowers,  beautiful  and  brilliant,  of  almost  every  form 
and  hue,  mingle  a  sweet  cheerfulness  with  the  general 
desolation  The  soil  of  the  valleys  is  evidently  rich, 
and  the  remains  of  terraces  on  the  hills  indicate  a 
former  cultivation.  The  solitude  of  this  neglected 
and  forsaken  region,  once  thickly  populated,  is  broken 
by  the  drumming  of  partridges,  almost  the  only  in- 
habitants. A  few  wandering  Arabs  pass  us,  and  per- 
haps donkeys  loaded  with  dry  sticks  gathered  on  the 
hills,  and  sometimes  women  carrying  bundles  of  this 
fuel  on  their  heads. 


232  HOME    OF   AMOS HAUNTS    OF   DAVID. 

We  think  of  the  patriarchs  and  others  who  traveled 
this  path  long  ages  ago.  We  have  no  account  of  our 
Saviour's  journeying  here,  during  his  ministry,  but  it 
was  probably  along  this  very  road  that  he  was  borne 
while  an  infant,  in  his  mother's  arms,  in  the  flight  in- 
to Egypt.  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  David,  Solo- 
mon and  Saul,  often  looked  upon  these  mountains 
and  valleys. 

Only  a  little  to  the  left  of  us  are  the  deserted  ruins 
of  Tekoa,  "  whence  Joab  called  the  wise  woman  to 
plead  with  David  on  behalf  of  Absalom."  There,  too 
was  the  home  of  the  prophet  Amos,  who  kept  his 
sheep  and  gathered  wild  fruit  among  these  mountains 
and  glens,  till  the  Lord  summoned  him  to  a  higher 
office,  and  made  him  a  preacher  of  judgment  and 
mercy  to  sinning  Israel.  And  not  far  off  is  the  Cave 
of  Adullam,  in  which  David  often  took  refuge.  He 
was  familiar  with  all  these  hills  and  vales,  for  here 
he  kept  his  father's  sheep — here  he  retreated  when 
pursued  by  Saul — here,  amid  the  strongholds  of  na- 
ture, he  not  only  fled  from  his  enemies  for  safety,  but 
also  wrote  some  of  those  beautiful  and  sublime  Psalms, 
in  which,  he  sings  of  Jehovah  as  his  Refuge,  Hock 
and  Strong  Tower.  This  "  hill  country  of  Judea," 
through  which  we  are  passing,  is  holy  ground.  Every 
footfall  is  upon  soil  trodden  by  ancient  worthies,  and 
every  view  around  was  seen  by  their  eyes.  Their 
cities  and  homes  have  crumbled  to  ruin,  but  the  natural 
scenery  remains.  The  everlasting  hills,  the  valleys, 
the  rocks,  the  fountains,  are  all  here.  Hence,  the 
sacred  and  undying  interest  that  clusters  about  them. 
Never  poet  or  minstrel  sang  such  sweet  and  glorious 


VALLEY   OF   BERACHAH — BETH-ZUK.  233 

strains  as  those  wliicli  flowed  from  the  inspired  heart 
and  lips  of  the  Shepherd  King  among  these  mountains. 

"  The  harp  the  monarch  minstrel  swept, 

The  king  of  men,  the  loved  of  Heaven, 
Which  Music  hallowed  while  she  wept 

O'er  tones  her  heart  of  hearts  hath  given — 
Redoubled  be  her  tears,  its  chords  are  riven  ! 

It  softened  men  of  iron  mould, 

It  gave  them  virtues  not  their  own ; 

No  ear  so  dull,  no  soul  so  cold, 
That  felt  not,  fired  not  to  the  tone, 
Till  David's  lyre  grew  mightier  than  his  throne ! 

It  told  the  triumphs  of  our  King, 

It  wafted  glory  to  our  God, 
It  made  our  gladdened  valleys  ring, 

The  cedars  bow,  the  mountains  nod  ; 

Its  sound  aspired  to  heaven  and  there  abode  !" 

"We  pass  close  by  the  border  of  the  Valley  of 
Berachah  on  our  left,  remarkable  as  the  scene  of  the 
great  battle  and  victory  of  Jehosaphat  against  the 
children  of  Moab,  Ammon  and  Mount  Seir.  The 
faith  and  energy  of  Judah  were  inspired  in  this  con- 
test by  the  sublime  assurance:  "The  battle  is  not 
yours,  but  God's."  An  old  stone  tower  is  soon  ob- 
served on  our  right,  and  a  little  beyond  we  come  to  a 
fountain,  surrounded  by  massive  foundations  and  ex- 
cavated tombs.  Several  women  are  washing  clothes  in 
the  stone  troughs.  The  present  name  of  the  tower  is 
Beit  Zur,  suggesting  at  once  the  Beth-zur  of  Joshua, 
mentioned  in  connection  with  Halhul,  which  we  find 
a  little  further  along.  On  the  left,  as  we  proceed,  is 
an  old  ruin,  consisting  of  large  foundations  of  hewn 


234  VALLEY    OF    ESCHOL HEBRON. 

stone,  as  though,  a  great  castle  or  other  building  had 
been  commenced  there,  but  never  finished.  It  is 
called  the  House  of  Abraham. 

We  soon  find  ourselves  in  the  famous  Yalley  of 
Eschol,  suggestive  of  vineyards  and  clusters  of  grapes. 
And  here  they  abound  to  this  day.  Nowhere  did  I 
see  such  luxuriant  vines,  covering  the  hill-slopes  and 
filling  the  valley.  Yineyard  after  vineyard  met  our 
eyes  as  we  passed  along  the  stony  path,  and  their 
arrangements  immediately  recalled  one  of  our  Lord's 
parables:  "There  was  a.  certain  householder  who 
planted  a  vineyard,  and  hedged  it  round  about,  and 
digged  a  wine-press  in  it,  and  built  a  tower."  The 
Eschol  vineyards  are  thus  enclosed  with  walls  and 
hedges,  and  have  their  towers  for  watchmen.  Here 
came  the  spies,  sent  up  by  Moses  to  observe  the  land. 
Here,  by  this  brook,  "  they  cut  down  a  branch  wTith 
one  cluster  of  grapes,  and  they  bare  it  between  two 
upon  a  staff."  Caleb  and  Joshua  were  among  them. 
They  looked  upon  these  hills — walked  in  this  path — 
drank  of  this  flowing  stream — gathered  grapes  here, 
and  pomegranates  and  figs — and  these  fruits  are  found 
here  still.  Here  they  saw  the  children  of  Anak,  sons 
of  giants,  and  their  walled  cities ;  but  the  hearts  of 
those  faithful  two  failed  not ;  and  they  alone,  of  all 
their  associates,  wrere  permitted  to  cross  the  Jordan  to 
the  promised  possession.  And  this  very  place  was 
afterwards  captured  by  Joshua  and  given  to  Caleb. 
So  much  for  being  hopeful,  trusting  and  brave,  and 
looking  on  the  bright  side. 

Descending  a  little  further  the  narrow  valley  of 
Eschol,  our  eyes  are  soon  resting  on  the  city  of  Heb- 


CAMP-GROUND — CAVE   OF   MACHPELAH.  235 

ron — a  city  that  has  had  a  continuous  existence  for 
almost  four  thousand  years,  having  been  built  "  seven 
years  before  Zoan  in  Eygpt. "  It  seems  difficult  to 
believe  one's  own  eyes  in  the  presence  of  localities  so 
ancient  and  sacred,  while  thought  runs  back,  far  back 
through  the  ages,  and  recalls  the  men,  the  histories, 
the  scenes  associated  with  these  places.  But  here  is 
the  reality,  positive,  evident,  unmistakable.  This  is 
Hebron — this  picturesque  city,  stretching  away  on  the 
slope  east  of  the  valley,  and  divided  by  gardens  into 
two  sections.  Here  lived  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
and  his  son  Isaac,  and  his  grandson  Jacob  ;  and  they 
were  all  buried  in  that  Cave  of  Machpelah.  There, 
too,  their  wives  were  buried — Sarah,  Kebekah,  and 
Leah ;  and  I  am  looking  upon  the  building  that  en- 
closes their  dust ! 

But  now  we  have  arrived  at  our  camping  ground — 
a  gentle  grassy  slope  opposite  the  city,  and  overlook- 
ing it.  There  our  tents  are  being  pitched,  and  two  or 
three  other  parties  are  pitching  theirs  near  by,  making 
quite  an  array  of  white  tents. 

As  the  sun  still  glimmers  over  the  vale,  and  lights 
up  the  adjacent  hills,  we  take  a  walk  down  into  the 
city.  We  pass  the  large,  ancient  Pool  of  David,  over 
which  he  hanged  the  murderers  of  Ishbosheth.  There 
are  no  wralls  enclosing  the  city,  as  at  Jerusalem,  but 
there  are  gates  at  the  entrance  of  the  principal  streets. 
"We  enter  one,  and  pass  along  the  narrow  alley  be- 
tween houses,  till  we  come  to  the  Haram  or  Mosque 
covering  the  Cave  of  Machpelah.  This  large  and 
very  ancient  edifice  is  built  of  hewn  stone  of  great 
size,  and  beveled  like  those  in  the  substructions  of  the 


236  TOMB    OF   THE   PATRIARCHS. 

Temple  walls.  It  is  believed  that  these  stones  were 
laid  in  the  original  edifice  by  the  immediate  descend- 
ants of  the  patriarchs  buried  in  the  tombs  within.  The 
Moslems  have  had  possession  here  for  a  long  period. 
They  have  a  high  regard  for  Abraham,  and  will  for  no 
consideration  allow  any  u  Christian  dog"  to  enter  the 
building.  As  we  came  up  to  it,  and  to  the  verge  of  an 
alley  of  steps  leading  still  further,  a  number  of  these 
Moslems  stepped  in  rather  insolently  before  us,  to  pre- 
vent our  proceeding  another  inch.  It  is  outrageous 
that  these  sacred  places  should  be  in  their  exclusive 
possession.  It  will  not  be  so  always,  nor  many  years, 
I  fancy.  They  sometimes  allow  Jews  to  look  through 
a  little  hole  in  the  wall.  I  got  one  of  our  Mohamme- 
dan guides  to  go  in  and  bring  me  a  piece  of  the  cave 
or  tomb. 

I  read  here  the  account  in  Genesis  of  Abraham's 
purchase  of  that  field  from  Ephron  the  Hittite,  and 
the  death  and  burial  of  Sarah.  Then  the  patriarch 
and  others  following  were  gathered  to  their  rest  here, 
till  the  embalmed  hody  of  Jacob  was  brought  up  from 
Egypt  and  laid  beside  his  father.  Perhaps  the  mum- 
mied form  of  the  last  is  preserved  here  still,  and  had 
permission  to  enter  been  given,  I  might  have  looked 
upon  the  veritable  body  of  Jacob,  and  seen  the  dust 
of  Abraham  !  At  Thebes  I  saw  mummies  of  persons 
who  lived  probably  as  early  as  did  these ;  and  I 
brought  away  a  human  hand  that  may  have  aided  in 
building  the  Pyramids,  or  in  planting  and  gathering 
some  of  the  corn  that  Joseph  stored  in  the  years  of 
plenty. 

We  returned  to  our  tents  just  before  sunset,  and 


TENT-LIFE — THE    STARS.  237 

found  them  ready  for  us,  and  dinner  prepared.  Our 
table  is  sometimes  set  within  a  tent,  but  more  often 
outside.  Three  of  us  occupy  a  tent,  each  person  hav- 
ing an  iron  bedstead  raised  about  a  foot  from  the 
ground,  and  provided  with  suitable  bedding.  This 
was  our  first  night  in  the  tents,  in  which  we  were  to 
domicil  for  the  next  three  weeks.  Here  began  our 
tent-life,  in  the  place  where  Abram  pitched  his  tent  in 
"  the  plain  of  Mamre,  which  is  in  Hebron."  Nor  did 
we  forget  the  altar  of  prayer. 

It  is  our  custom  after  dinner  to  repair  to  our  tents, 
and  at  our  little  table,  with  a  candle  thereon,  write  up 
our  journal  of  the  day's  experience  and  sight-seeing, 
read  over  the  history  of  the  places  we  had  visited,  and 
press  the  flowers  we  had  gathered.  This  done  on  that 
first  evening  in  the  tent,  I  went  out  and  looked  from 
the  dim  outline  of  the  city  and  adjacent  hills,  up  to 
the  bright  and  glorious  stars,  beaming  serenely  on  that 
Holy  Land,  just  as  they  did  when  Abram  saw  them, 
sitting  in  his  tent-door  ;  when  Isaac  went  out  at  even- 
tide to  meditate  ;  when  the  shepherds  saw  them  from 
the  Bethlehem  hills  ;  and  when  Jesus  himself  beheld 
them  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  from  the  retreats 
of  Olivet.  While  all  else  seemed  strange  about  me, 
those  beautiful  stars  looked  familiar  and  home-like, 
and  carried  me  in  thought  to  dear  and  loved  ones  far 
away.  O,  what  varied  scenes,  in  ages  past,  those 
heavenly  orbs  have  witnessed  here !  and  beyond  them, 
eyes,  pure  and  holy,  are  ever  looking  down  upon  this 
strange  and  wonderful  earth. 


XX. 

ron  OS  i\t  iafrkrju—  gd^m—  Sfer  Sate. 


MORNING  dawns  over  ancient  Hebron.  The  earliest 
sunlight,  glittering  from  the  mountains  of  Moab  and 
the  hills  of  En-gedi,  comes  lovingly  to  the  doors  of 
our  tents.  The  night  was  unusually  cool,  and  some 
of  our  party  emerged  shiveringly  from  their  frail  tab- 
ernacles, by  no  means  enraptured  with  the  first  com- 
forts of  tent  life.  But  those  who  had  a  supply  of 
heavy  shawls  to  add  to  their  bed-quilts,  found  them 
quite  useful.  Breakfast  was  soon  prepared,  and  we 
were  summoned  to  the  table,  surrounded  with  camp- 
stools  and  chairs,  and  furnished  with  mutton-chops, 
chickens,  eggs,  bread,  potatoes,  boiled  rice,  and  dibs, 
or  grape  molasses,  sometimes  called  honey  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  tea  and  coffee.  We  frequently  had 
mish-mish,  or  dried  apricots  stewed,  which  were  a  fine 
relish.  A  considerable  company  of  the  natives  gath- 
ered around  us,  Moslems  and  Jews,  the  latter  having 
several  qualities  of  Hebron  wine  .  for  sale.  In  the 
meantime,  our  tents  were  struck,  and  the  baggage 
piled  on  the  mules,  and  they  started  off.  After  a 
brief  ramble  or  climbing  a  hill,  our  horses  were 
ready  —  they  had  been  tied  through  the  night  near  the 
tents  —  and  we  filed  away. 

With  deep  and  earnest  interest,  we  look  over  the 


HEBEON    AND   ITS    ASSOCIATIONS.  .       239 

city  and  its  hills,  to  fix  the  picture  in  our  memory, 
while  sacred  historic  characters  and  associations  come 
thronging  to  the  mind.  This  is  old  Hebron,  originally 
Kirjath  Arba,  city  of  Arba,  father  of  Anak,  and  pro- 
genitor of  giants.  Here  dwelt  the  patriarchs.  These 
valleys  were  their  camping-grounds.  Their  flocks  and 
herds  grazed  on  these  hills.  On  these  slopes  and  sum- 
mits, on  these  rocks  and  rills,  the  eyes  of  the  venera- 
ble Chaldean  shepherd  often  looked  from  his  tent 
door,  under  the  oak  of  Mamre.  Here  Jehovah  con- 
descended to  converse  with  him  —  commended  his 
fidelity,  and  cheered  him  with  glorious  promises. 
Here  to  his  peaceful  home  came  the  news  of  his 
nephew  Lot's  misfortune  and  captivity,  in  the  plunder- 
ing of  Sodom,  and  hence  he  set  out  with  his  servants 
on  his  successful  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  Here,  a  few 
years  later,  he  was  visited  by  angels,  whom  he  enter- 
tained, and  from  whom  he  received  the  promise  of  a 
son,  and  knowledge  of  Sodom's  coming  doom.  On 
one  of  those  high  hills  under  our  gaze,  perhaps,  he 
plead  with  the  Lord  for  its  wicked  inhabitants,  and 
from  the  same  height  the  next  morning  he  surveyed 
the  smoking  ruins  of  the  destroyed  cities.  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  this 
vicinity,  experiencing,  as  is  common  now,  various 
events  of  joy  and  sorrow.  Here  Joseph  dreamed,  and 
incurred  the  hatred  of  his  brethren.  From  hence  his 
father  sent  him  to  Shechem,  to  see  those  brethren. 
He  found  them  in  Dotham,  and  they  sold  him  into 
Egypt.  From  Hebron,  Jacob's  ten  sons  went  into 
Egypt  to  buy  corn  in  the  time  of  famine ;  and  after 
Joseph  was  known,  and  had  sent  for  his  father,  it  was 


24:0  ABRAHAM'S  OAK. 

from.  Hebron  that  the  patriarchal  family  departed  for 
Egypt  by  the  way  of  Beersheba.  One  of  the  six 
cities  of  refuge,  it  also  became,  after  the  death  of 
Saul,  the  royal  residence  of  David.  Here  he  reigned 
over  seven  years,  and  most  of  his  sons  were  born 
here.  The  Jews  have  a  high  regard  for  Hebron.  They 
cling  especially  around  the  Cave  of  Machpelah,  the 
burial-place  of  their  fathers,  dropping  there  their  tears 
and  chanting  their  prayers,  as  they  do  at  the  ruins  of 
their  ancient  Temple  in  Jerusalem.  The  present 
population  of  Hebron  is  seven  or  eight  thousand,  the 
Mohammedans  largely  preponderating — the  rest  are 
Jews ;  no  Christians  reside  here.  The  houses,  built 
of  stone,  have  a  substantial  look,  are  generally  two 
stories  high,  with  little  domes  rising  from  the  flat 
roofs. 

Taking  a  northwesterly  direction,  through  olive 
groves  and  vineyards,  we  soon  reached  a  very  interest- 
ing locality  and  object — the  Oak  of  Abraham — the 
traditional  site  of  his  tent,  and  place  where  he  enter- 
tained the  angels.  This  splendid  old  tree  stands  alone 
in  a  beautiful  spot.  Under  it  is  the  smooth  green- 
sward, and  near  it  a  well  of  sweet,  crystal  water.  It 
is  a  favorite  place  for  Jewish  pic-nics  and  social  gath- 
erings. This  venerable  oak  measures  twenty-three  feet 
around  the  trunk,  and  its  foliage  covers  a  space  ninety 
feet  in  diameter.  Evidently  of  great  age,  it  is  still 
sound  and  flourishing.  "While  it  cannot  date  back  to 
the  days  of  Abraham — some,  however,  claim  it  as  the 
veritable  tree  under  which  he  pitched  his  tent — it  may 
be  a  representative  of  his  oak,  springing  from  its  roots 


GKAPE-SLIPS — OLD    ACQUEDUCT.  241 

or  acorns,  and  may  spread  its  branches  over  the  same 
soil. 

What  a  sweet,  cheerful  picture,  to  recall  the  patri- 
arch as  his  tent  ^as  here,  as  he  communed  with  God, 
and  received  celestial  visitants!  Adjoining  was 
Sarah's  tent — and  here  peace  and  simplicity  reigned 
in  those  olden  days  of  pastoral  life.  Here  they  lived, 
and  yonder  they  sleep — ages  elapse — hut  heaven  and 
earth  shall  meet  here  again  in  the  great  and  joyous 
resurrection.  I  gathered  a  few  twigs  from  the  old 
oak,  and  we  sang  under  its  houghs  a  portion  of  the 

hymn : 

"  Children  of  the  heavenly  King, 
As  ye  journey  sweetly  sing — 
Ye  are  traveling  home  to  God 
In  the  way  the  fathers  trod." 

Then  retracing  our  steps  through  the  Valley  of  Eschol, 
I  stopped  at  a  vineyard  where  some  men  were  trim- 
ming the  vines,  and  got  a  few  slips,  which  I  subse- 
quently put  in  a  little  box  of  earth  from  the  Garden 
of  Gethsemane,  to  take  home.* 

We  returned  to  the  Pools  of  Solomon  by  the  way 
we  came,  with  little  to  interest  us,  save  the  thought, 
perhaps,  that  we  were  in  the  same  path  that  Abraham 
took  in  his  mournful  journey  to  offer  up  Isaac  on 
Mount  Moriah.  At  the  Pools  we  turned  to  the  right, 
and  wound  over  the  shoulder  of  a  large  hill,  following 
the  old  acqueduct  leading  to  Bethlehem,  and  even  to 
Jerusalem,  crossing  the  valley  of  Hinnom  near  the 
lower  Pool  of  Gihon,  where  its  remains  may  still  be 

*  One  of  them  lived,  and  is  doing  well  in  its  new,  far-off  nursery, 
having  grown  thirty  feet  in  the  second  summer. 

11 


242  VALE    OF   ETAM — BETHLEHEM. 

traced.  It  is  of  rude  masonry,  slightly  rising  above 
the  surface,  and  occasionally,  where  a  stone  had  been 
removed,  we  could  see  the  water  still  flowing  in  this 

artificial  channel. 

« 

On  our  right,  and  below  us,  was  the  village  of  Urtas 
and  the  vale  of  Etam — a  beautiful  green  spot,  some 
of  it  highly  cultivated  and  filled  with  fruit  trees,  in 
bright  and  variegated  bloom,  making  a  sweet  con- 
trast witli  the  desolate  hillsides.  Over  the  gray  sur- 
face, amidst  rocks  and  ruined  terraces,  we  journeyed 
nearly  an  hour,  and — 

"  Lo,  Bethlehem's  hill-site  before  me  is  seen, 
With  the  mountains  around  the  valleys  between ; 
Where  rested  the  shepherds  of  Judah,  and  where 
The  song  of  the  angels  rose  sweet  on  the  air." 

Yes,  that  is  Bethlehem  ;  and  the  bold  ridge  or  elon- 
gated hill,  stretching  from  west  to  east,  on  which  it  is 
picturesquely  situated,  is  in  full  view.  The  village 
houses  stand  along  the  western  part,  and  the  eastern 
brow  and  chief  summit  is  crowned  with  an  immense 
convent  or  pile  of  buildings,  looking  like  some  old 
castle  of  feudal  times.  The  hill-slopes  below  are 
quite  steep,  and  the  curved  and  stair-like  terraces  are 
well  kept,  and  covered  with  rows  of  thrifty  olives,  and 
intervening  figs  and  vines.  The  eye  glances  down 
hence  upon  the  fields  once  occupied  by  Boaz,  where 
Ruth  gleaned  after  the  reapers,  where  David,  her 
great  grandson,  kept  his  father's  sheep,  and  where 
the  shepherds  were  watching  their  flocks  when  they 
were  startled  by  the  strange  and  glorious  displays  at- 
tending our  Saviour's  birth. 


UNIX 

£AL\f. 


CHUKCH    OF    THE    NATIVITY.  24:3 

After  coming  in  sight  of  Bethlehem,  we  pass  over 
a  moderate  valley  amidst  olive  groves  and  vineyards, 
with  occasional  pomegranate  and  almond-trees,  and 
ascend  the  hill  at  the  west  end  of  the  village ;  and 
proceeding    through  its  one  street,  along  which  are 
various   little    shops   and   all  sorts  of  people,  we  at 
length  come  to  the  Church  of  the  Nativity,  the  large 
building  already  alluded  to.      It  was  erected  in  the 
year  327  by  the  Empress  Helena,  mother  of  Constan- 
tine,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  monuments  of  Christian 
architecture  in  the  world.     It  is  supposed  to  cover  the 
place    where  our  blessed  Lord  was  born.      We  first 
enter  a  large  audience  room,  dingy  and  dilapidated, 
through  which  extend  double  rows  of  Corinthian  col- 
umns of  marble,  evidently  very  ancient,  and  taken,  as 
some  think,  from  the  porch  of  the  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem.   Faded  mosaics  meet  the  eye  on  the  walls,  and 
above  are  cross-beams  or  hewn  timbers  of  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon.    Entrances  from  this  room — in  which  are 
traffickers   in  various  mementoes — lead  to  the  three 
chapels,  Latin,  Greek  and  Armenian  ;  and  from  each 
of  these   there   are   winding  stairways  down  to  the 
Grotto  of  the  Nativity,  the  great  attraction. 

There  are  various  caves,  chapels,  altars,  and  tombs 
under  this  church,  adorned  with  pictures  and  other 
tawdry  trappings  of  Romish  and  Greek  churches. 
Here  is  the  tomb  of  Paula  and  Eustachia,  that  of 
Jerome  also,  and  the  study  where  he  spent  some  thirty 
years,  and  made  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  in 
Latin,  the  famous  Vulgate  version.  Here  is  the  altar 
of  the  Innocents,  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  two 
thousand  children,  slain  by  Herod's  order,  were  buried. 


24:4  THE   STABLE   AND   MANGEK. 

After  going  through  a  number  of  long,  narrow 
and  dark  passages,  we  are  conducted  to  the  Chapel  of 
the  Nativity.  It  is  a  low  room  or  vault,  thirty-eight 
feet  long  and  eleven  wide,  and  seems  to  have  been 
hewn  in  the  rock.  A  little  recess  at  the  east  end  is 
the  sanctum  of  the  whole  building.  There,  in  the 
center  of  a  marble  slab  fixed  in  the  pavement,  is  a  sil- 
ver star  circled  by  the  words — Hie  de  Virgine  Maria 
Jesus  Christus  natus  est.  "  Here  Jesus  Christ  was 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary."  Sixteen  silver  lamps  are 
suspended  around  this  star,  and  continually  kept  burn- 
ing. In  the  corner  of  this  Grotto  is  shown  the  place 
of  the  manger.  Over  it  is  a  good  painting  of  the 
Virgin  and  Child,  with  the  shepherds,  set  in  a  silver 
frame,  and  behind  a  screen  of  silver  wire,  and  illumi- 
ned by  five  silver  lamps.  The  station  of  the  Magi  is 
near,  and  the  Chapel  of  Joseph  is  a  long  dark  vault 
leading  out  of  the  Grotto. 

"Whether  Jesus  was  born  and  laid  in  a  manger 
in  this  cave,  no  one  is  able  to  say  with  certainty. 
Tradition  makes  this  the  spot,  and  it  may  be  even  so. 
No  doubt  there  are  natural  caves  here ;  and  such 
caves  were  then,  and  are  still  used  in  the  East  as  sta- 
bles. At  any  rate,  this  is  Bethlehem,  and  here,  or  in 
some  spot  near  me,  beneath  my  eye,  my  blessed 
Saviour  was  born.  Here,  a  helpless  infant,  He  was 
cradled  in  a  manger — so  humble  and  lowly  was  the 
advent  of  the  Son  of  God.  This  wondrous  fact  was 
rendered  deeply  impressive  as  I  wandered  through 
Bethlehem,  and  knew  that  this  great  event  here  trans- 
pired— the  new  star  was  in  this  sky,  shone  over  these 
hills,  and  directed  the  Wise  Men  to  the  humble  abode 


BETHLEHEM MAR    SABA.  24:5 

where  they  found  and  worshiped  the  young  child — as 
I  looked  off  upon  and  went  among  the  hills  and  val- 
leys where  the  shepherds  heard  the  angel  voice  and 
the  song  of  heavenly  hosts — and  as  I  saw  in  that  very 
place  shepherds  now  with  their  flocks,  reminding  me 
of  that  momentous  event  and  hour,  when, 

u  —  In  that  stable  lay,  new-born. 
The  peaceful  Prince  of  eartli  and  heaven, 
In  the  solemn  midnight, 
Centuries  ago." 

"We  left  Bethlehem,  with  regret  that  we  could  not 
linger  ]onger  upon  its  hill,  and  even  spend  the  night 
there,  amidst  associations  of  heaven  and  eartli  so  won- 
derful. We  descended  the  steep  hill  eastward,  look- 
ing back  for  a  fine  view  of  the  town,  gathering  flowers 
as  we  went,  observing  here,  for  the  first  time,  that  lit- 
tle white-spangled  flower,  called  the  Star  of  Bethle- 
hem, and  singing,  too,  amid  those  hills  and  vales,  the 
sweet  hymn,  "When  marshaled  on  the  nightly  plain." 
We  recall  the  historic  scenes  and  characters  of  Bethle- 
hem— the  sad  story  of  Naomi ;  the  romantic  fortunes 
of  Ruth  ;  the  remarkable  adventures  of  David.  Here 
that  son  of  Jesse  was  born,  drank  at  his  favorite  spring, 
learned  to  sling  stones,  and  was  anointed  king  by 
Samuel.  But,  O  Bethlehem  Judah,  "  City  of  David," 
thy  one  great  event  absorbs  the  mind— the  birth  of 
David's  greater  Son,  even  Him  who  is  Lord  of  lords 
and  King  of  kings.  How  favored  are  these  eyes  that 
look  upon  thee,  and  these  feet  that  tread  thy  soil ! 

On  we  went  amidst  bold  gray  hills,  and  deep  wind- 
ing valleys,  and  about  sundown  pitched  our  tents  near 
the  Convent  of  Mar  Saba,  an  immense  building  on 


246  CONVENT  OF  SANTA  SABA. 

the  steep  declivity  of  the  yawning  gorge  of  the 
Kedron — one  of  the  wildest,  most  romantic,  and  deso- 
lately rocky  places  in  Palestine.  I  was  desirous  of 
spending  the  night  in  this  remarkable  edifice,  and  two 
others  of  our  party  being  like-minded,  we  were  politely 
received  by  the  Greek  priests  in  charge,  who  offered 
us  refreshments,  and  showed  us  to  our  lodgings  in 
a  large  and  comfortably  furnished  chamber. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  went  through  the  various 
apartments  of  that  singular  and  romantically  situated 
edifice,  built  up  of  stone  on  the  perpendicular  side  of 
a  deep  and  frightful  chasm.  It  clings  to  the  rugged 
precipice  in  such  an  irregular  outline  and  manner, 
that  the  artificial  and  natural  rocks  are  curiously 
blended.  A  Greek  priest  showed  us  the  chapel  con- 
taining the  tomb  of  St.  Sabas,  who  died  in  the  year 
532 — a  palm-tree  planted  by  that  saint  in  one  of  the 
yards — a  charnel  house  containing  heaps  of  bones  of 
martyred  worthies — and  the  cave,  the  original  nucleus 
of  the  establishment,  where  Sabas  spent  many  years 
of  his  life.  This  was  a  lion's  den  at  first ;  but  when 
the  saint  intimated  to  the  beast  a  desire  to  occupy  it 
for  a  religious  purpose,  he  quietly  resigned  his  claim 
to  it — so  the  story  goes.  This  strange  old  building 
passed  through  various  fortunes  in  the  fierce  wars  be- 
tween the  Crescent  and  the  Cross.  It  is  said  to  con- 
tain rich  treasures,  which  the  wild  Bedawin  of  the  re- 
gion would  like  the  opportunity  of  seizing,  but  it  is 
strongly  guarded.  ]STo  woman  is  ever  allowed  to  en- 
ter its  doors.  The  famous  traveler  Madame  Pfeiffer 
spent  a  night  alone  in  a  tower-loft  outside. 


XXI. 


LEAVING  Mar  Saba  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
we  journeyed  eastward  through  the  rough  and  romantic 
wilderness  of  Judea.  High,  bold  and  gray  limestone 
hills,  with  deep  and  dark  ravines,  were  all  around 
us.  Now  and  then,  through,  the  opening  gorges, 
we  caught  glimpses  of  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  usual  to 
go  there  under  the  protection  of  a  guard,  as  the  re- 
gion is  infested  by  wild  Arab  robbers.  Indeed,  the 
Sheik  of  the  place  will  be  likely  to  rob  you,  unless  he 
is  engaged  as  an  escort  to  protect  you.  We  had  his 
son,  with  a  few  assistants,  as  our  guard.  The  young 
Sheik  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  wild  Bedawy.  lie  rode 
an  Arabian  mare,  perfectly  trained  to  every  move- 
ment, and  fleet  as  the  wind.  He  was  dressed  in  the 
gay  costume  of  his  class,  with  a  variously  colored  silk 
turban  wound  around  and  streaming  from  his  tarbush. 
He  had  a  long  gun  slung  across  his  back,  a  sword  at 
his  side,  and  a  knife  and  pistols  in  his  girdle.  He 
would  ride  towards  us  with  the  velocity  of  lightning, 
brandishing  his  drawn  sword  at  if  to  take  off  our  heads, 
and  then  turn  at  a  right  angle  within  a  few  feet  of  us. 
He  would  throw  his  gun  into  the  air  and  catch  it,  and 
even  pick  it  up  from  the  ground,  while  at  a  full  gallop. 
My  repeating  pistol,  manufactured  by  the  New-Haven 


24:8  APPROACH    TO    THE    DEAD   SEA. 

Arms  Company,  greatly  interested  and  astonished  him, 
and  he  was  anxious  to  get  possession  of  it. 

AVe  were  four  hours  going  to  the  Dead  Sea.  On 
some  lofty  hills,  about  half-way  there,  we  had  fine 
views  of  that  wild  and  desolate  region.  Stretching 
off  on  our  right  to  the  southeast,  rugged,  dreary  and 
bare,  is  the  "wilderness  of  En-gedi."  Before  us, 
lying  low  in  its  bleak-bordered  bed,  is  the  Sea  of 
Death,  now  with  dark  shadows  flitting  over  it,  and  then 
sparkling  with  sunlight  gleaming  through  the  clouds. 
Down  to  its  eastern  shore  come  the  dark,  wall-like 
mountains  of  Moab,  stretching  far  to  the  North,  and 
bordering  the  vale  of  the  Jordan.  About  two  miles 
on  our  left  is  a  white  wely  on  a  hill-top.  It  is  the  Neby 
Musa  of  the  Mohammedans.  The  real  tomb  of  Moses 
is  among  those  mountains  yonder,  east  of  the  Jordan, 
"  in  a  valley  in  the  land  of  Moab,  over  against  Beth- 
peor ;  but  no  man  knoweth  his  sepulchre." 

About  an  hour  before  reaching  the  Dead  Sea,  we  des- 
cend the  steep  hills  to  the  barren  plain.  Here  our 
guard  professed  to  be  somewhat  alarmed,  or  wished  us 
to  be,  and  declared  that  they  saw  Arab  robbers  lurk- 
ing about  our  path.  But  we  saw  none,  and  I  pre- 
sume it  was  only  a  ruse  on  their  part,  to  magnify  their 
importance  and  increase  their  claim  to  ~buckslieesh. 
Over  the  light-brown,  parched  and  crusty  plain,  with 
scarcely  any  vestige  of  vegetation,  we  are  approaching 
the  northwestern  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea.  We  reach 
the  water's  edge,  and  dismount  amidst  pebbles  of 
nearly  all  colors,  many  being  black  and  pitchy  or 
bituminous,  and  dead  branches  of  trees,  which  have 
come  down  the  Jordan,  and  been  thrown  upon  the 


OFT, 

UN? 


LAKE    SCENERY."  24:9 

beach.  What  a  strange  place  to  stand  upon — to  look 
abroad  and  around  from — and  to  silently  meditate ! 
Every  spot  that  the  eye  rests  upon,  near  and  far  off,  has 
some  Scripture  account  or  scene  connected  with  it ; 
and  what  thrilling  accounts  and  tremendous  scenes ! 
Lift  the  curtain  of  history,  and  what  a  succession  of 
events  come  and  go — changeful,  beautiful,  fearful, 
wonderful,  terrible !  What  eyes  have  looked  upon 
the  clear  waters  of  this  lake,  with  its  bold,  bleak 
shores  !  Patriarchs  and  kings  have  beheld  it.  Our 
blessed  Lord,  too,  must  have  seen  it  from  the  Mount 
of  Olives  and  the  heights  above  Jericho. 

Who  does  not  admire  lake  scenery — often  so 
beautiful,  charming  and  romantic  ?  The  foreign  tour- 
ist will  not  soon  forget  his  visits  to  the  emerald-bor- 
dered lakes  of  Killarney  in  Ireland — the  sublime 
frames  in  which  those  Scottish  pictured  gems,  Lomond 
and  Katrine,  are  set — and  the  rich  beauty  and  roman- 
tic grandeur  of  the  Swiss  waters  nestled  among  her 
glorious  mountains.  Around  all  these  lakes  there  are 
verdure  and  fruitfulness,  groves  or  vineyards,  as  well 
as  rocky  palisades.  Flowers  fringe  their  margins,  and 
harvests  wave  behind,  while  fishes  sport  in  their 
depths,  and  shells  often  glitter  along  the  shore. 

But  this  lake  of  Death  is  a  strange  and  unique  ex- 
ception. There  is  nothing  of  life  or  of  beauty  here. 
The  gradually  sloping  plain  on  the  north  is  barren  and 
bleached,  crackling  like  egg-shells  under  one's  feet. 
The  rocky  bluffs  on  the  west  and  south,  and  the  Moab- 
cliffs  on  the  east  are  dark  and  desolate.  Not  a  living 
thing  inhabits  its  waters — not  a  flower,  not  a  green, 
willow  or  shrub,  except  where  a  fresh  stream  flows  in, 

11* 


250  CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE   DEAD    SEA. 

smiles  on  its  borders.  Nothing  of  the  loveliness  or 
the  music  of  nature  is  here.  Its  waters,  heavy,  and 
intensely  bitter  and  pungent,  are  rarely  ruffled  by  the 
breeze.  All  is  silence,  and  gloom,  and  death.  Forty 
miles  long  and  ten  broad,  the  Dead  Sea  lies  in  a  sort 
of  grave.  Its  surface  is  lower  than  that  of  any  other 
body  of  water  in  the  world,  being  thirteen  hundred 
feet  below  that  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  During 
most  of  the  year  an  intensely  hot  sun  is  shining  upon 
it,  causing  a  vast  amount  of  evaporation,  sufficient 
perhaps  to  exhaust  the  influx  of  the  Jordan,  and  of 
several  small  streams.  This  often  fills  the  air  with 
hazy  vapors,  adding  to  the  somber  desolation  that  rests 
over  it.  Without  any  knowledge  of  its  early  history 
one  would  naturally  feel  that  a  blight  and  curse  are 
here.  And  how  well  it  still  testifies  to  the  great  and 
solemn  event  that  long  ago  changed  its  whole  as- 
pect! 

What  features  did  this  lake  present  near  four  thou- 
sand years  ago,  before  "  Lot  pitched  his  tent  toward 
Sodom?"  From  the  heights  of  Bethel  he  looked 
down  upon  this  beautiful  and  tempting  region,  "  and 
beheld  all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well  watered 
everywhere,  before  the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah, even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  like  the  land 
of  Egypt,  as  thou  comest  unto  Zoar."  The  water  of 
the  lake  was  probably  once  fresh,  and  it  must  have 
been  much  smaller  than  it  is  now,  allowing  a  broad 
margin  for  the  fertile  fields,  especially  on  the  southern 
side,  where  it  is  supposed  the  Cities  of  the  Plain  stood. 
Here,  according  to  Gentile  and  Jewish  records,  was 
the  earliest  seat  of  Phcenecian  civilization.  The 


CITIES    OF   THE   PLAIN A   BATH.  251 

Assyrian  kings  coveted  the  rich  spoils  of  these  cities ; 
and  here,  in  the  "  vale  of  Siddim,"  the  first  battle  in 
Palestine  was  fought.  Lot  was  taken  and  his  goods, 
but  he  and  they  were  recovered  by  Abram.  The 
peculiar  nature  of  this  region  is  indicated  in  the  Scrip- 
ture account  of  the  battle  of  the  five  kings,  where 
mention  is  made  of  the  slime-pits  of  bitumen  in  the 
vale  of  Siddim.  These  became  elements  in  the  de- 
struction of  those  guilty  cities,  when  the  measure  of 
their  exceeding  wickedness  was  full.  One  day  the 
patriarch,  from  one  of  the  hills  toward  Hebron,  looked 
down  upon  the  Eden-like  beauty  of  this  plain,  and 
the  splendor  of  its  cities  teeming  with  the  busy  and 
tumultuous  life  of  a  gay  population  ;  but,  on  the  next 
morning,  what  an  appalling  sight  was  before  him,  as 
from  the  same  spot,  "  he  looked  toward  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  and  toward  all  the  land  of  the  plain,  and 
beheld,  and  lo,  the  smoke  of  the  country  went  up  as 
the  smoke  of  a  furnace  !"  Strange  contrast !  Beauty 
has  turned  to  ashes,  arid  life  to  death.  And  so  it  has 
remained  through  thousands  of  years.  So  I  see  it,  a 
picture  of  sterility  and  gloom,  suggesting  impressive 
and  solemn  lessons  of  God's  word  and  providence. 

I  lingered  there  an  hour  or  two,  gathered  a  few 
characteristic  pebbles,  bathed  in  the  buoyant  water  in 
which  it  was  impossible  to  sink,  tasted  its  saline  bit- 
terness, filled  a  bottle  with  it  to  bring  home,  and  then 
turned  away  toward  the  northeast,  on  a  visit  to  the 
river  Jordan,  where  our  blessed  Saviour  was  baptized. 
But  I  seem  to  see  it  now — that  Sea  of  Death,  the  little 
dark  island  near  the  shore  where  we  stopped,  the 
sluggish  waves  slightly  moved  under  a  strong  breeze, 


252  APPROACH  TO  THE  JORDAN. 

the  desolate  heights  of  En-gedi  on  the  west,  the  bold 
promontory  jutting  out  into  the  sea  from  the  gloomy 
mountains  of  Moab  on  the  east,  the  conical  salt  hills 
far  to  the  south,  where  Lot's  wife  lingering  perished, 
and  the  low  plain  on  the  north,  where  the  fresh  waters 
of  the  Jordan  flow  in  and  are  absorbed. 

Over  a  mostly  level  plain,  with  a  very  rare  sprink- 
ling of  stunted  vegetation,  we  were  about  an  hour  and 
a  half  in  reaching  the  traditional  place  of  the  baptism 
of  Jesus.  On  our  right,  we  could  trace  the  winding 
course  of  the  river,  from  the  strip  of  verdure  and 
small  trees  among  which  it  flows,  though  we  could 
not  see  the  river  itself.  On  our  left,  the  plain  was 
broad,  terminating  in  the  abrupt,  light-gray  hills  of 
Judea,  overlooking  the  site  of  ancient  Jericho.  It  was 
not  till  we  came  almost  to  the  brink  of  the  Jor- 
dan, that  we  got  a  glimpse  of  its  swiftly-flowing  and 
slightly  turbid  waters.  O  favored  eyes !  O  hallowed 
moment!  Can  the  emotions  awakened  by  such  a 
sight  be  described?  And  this  is  the  Jordan — the 
sacred  river,  flowing  as  of  old — in  whose  stream  and 
on  whose  banks  such  scenes  of  wonderful  interest 
have  transpired  !  And  here  it  rolls  still,  graceful  in 
its  sweep,  musical  in  its  flow,  and  every  murmur  of 
its  waters  seems  to  repeat  and  confirm  the  events  of 
Bible  history.  O  sweet  and  quiet  spot  for  sacred 
meditation  !  Here  let  me  sit  down  by  this  tree  on  the 
bank,  and  watch  the  rushing  stream,  and  recall  the 
past ! 

After  reading  passages  of  Scripture  relating  to  the 
place,  I  wandered  up  and  down  the  bank,  gathering  a 
few  mementoes  to  take  home.  Just  above,  there  was 


UNI'. 


PISGAII    AND    NEBO.  253 

a  bend  in  the  river  to  the  right,  and  a  considerable 
growth  of  trees  and  shrubbery  on  the  banks  not  far 
below,  as  well  as  above,  prevented  a  view  of  the  river 
to  any  great  extent.  The  width  of  the  Jordan  here,  I 
judged  to  be  twenty  yards  or  more,  and  its  depth  was. 
probably  ten  feet.  The  banks  were  somewhat  precip- 
itous, and  increasingly  so  at  a  little  distance  either 
way  ;  but  the  water's  edge  could  be  easily  approached 
for  a  number  of  rods  at  our  stopping-place.  This  is 
the  traditional  place  of  our  Saviour's  baptism,  the 
passage  of  the  Israelites,  and  the  farther  miraculous 
dividing  of  the  river  by  Elijah  and  Elisha.  Here,  or 
near  this  spot,  all  these  wonderful  events  must  have 
transpired.  This  is  confirmed  by  Scripture  allusions 
to  localities  in  the  vicinity. 

Just  beyond  the  plain,  on  the  eastern  bank,  are 
the  dark  mountain  ranges  of  Moab  and  Ammon.  Up 
under  their  shadow,  when  the  long  journey  of  forty 
years  in  the  wilderness  was  nearly  finished,  the  great 
caravan  or  procession  of  the  Israelites  had  come. 
Then  it  was  that  Balak,  King  of  Moab,  sent  for  Ba- 
laam, who  loved  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,  to  come 
and  curso  Israel.  On  yonder  mountain-heights,  Pisgah 
and  Peor,  did  the  wicked  King  rear  altars,  and  take 
thither  the  false  Prophet.  There  he  uttered  his 
remarkable  parables.  But  God's  people  were  not  to 
be  cursed,  but  blessed. 

From  the  mountains  of  Abarim,  before  Nebo,  the 
Israelites  came  and  pitched  in  the  plains  of  Moab,  by 
Jordan,  near  Jericho.  At  this  encampment,  just  over 
the  river  from  my  position,  what  deeply  interesting 
and  solemn  scenes  transpired  !  "What  laws  and  coun- 


254:  DEATH   OF   MOSES — THE    PASSAGE. 

sels  were  given  to  Israel !  "What  hallowed  words  and 
sublime  strains  fell  from  the  inspired  lips  of  Moses ! 
A  faithful,  patient,  earnest  and  successful  leader  he 
had  been.  The  people  had  sinned  and  fallen  by  the 
•way.  Beside  himself,  only  two  remained  of  the  men 
who  left  Egypt ;  and  he,  having  once  erred,  must  now 
finish  his  course  without  passing  the  Jordan.  But  he 
shall  have  a  glorious  view  of  the  long-sought  and 
cherished  land  of  promise.  "  And  Moses  went  up 
from  the  plains  of  Moab  unto  the  mountain  of  .NVbo, 
to  the  top  of  Pisgah,  that  is  over  against  Jericho,  and 
the  Lord  showed  him  all  the  land."  Blessed  vision  ! 
type  of  the  heavenly  land  he  was  so  soon  to  enter ;  for 
there  the  Divine  Hand  took  the  great  Moses  to  his 
rest  and  burial. 

"Sweet  was  the  journey  to  the  sky, 

The  wondrous  Prophet  tried  ; 
*  Climb  up  the  mount,'  says  God,  *  and  die  j' 
The  Prophet  climbed — and  died. 

"  Softly  his  fainting  head  he  lay 

Upon  his  Maker's  breast ; 

His  Maker  kissed  his  soul  away, 

And  laid  his  flesh  to  rest." 

Joshua  succeeds  Moses,  and  preparations  are  made 
for  entering  the  Promised  Land.  Long  had  it  filled 
their  dreams  and  inspired  their  hopes,  and  now  they 
can  look  over  upon  its  borders.  Its  mountain-tops 
are  beautiful  in  the  sunlight,  and  its  green  valleys  are 
enchanting.  But  the  swift-flowing  and  now  full  Jor- 
dan intervenes.  How  shall  they  pass  the  bridgeless 
flood?  A  Divine  promise  is  their  encouragement. 
Down  to  the  river's  edge  they  come  and  camp.  The 


TRANSLATION    OF    ELIJAH.  255 

following  day  the  priests,  with  the  Ark  on  their  shoul- 
ders, advanced  till  their  feet  touched  the  water  along 
the  shelving  bank.  The  immense  procession  of  peo- 
ple stretched  far  behind  them,  with  Keuben,  Gad  and 
Manasseli,  fully  armed,  in  the  van.  'No  sooner  had 
the  priests'  feet  touched  the  water  than  it  receded  be- 
fore them,  leaving  the  bed  of  the  river  dry.  The 
waters,  coming  down  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  "  stood 
and  rose  up,"  while  those  below  flowed  off  into  the 
Dead  Sea.  Thus  was  a  broad  path  opened  through 
the  river  by  the  hand  of  God.  In  the  midst  of  the 
dry  bed  the  priests  bearing  the  Ark  remained  till  all 
the  people  passed  over,  and  the  twelve  stones  had 
been  taken  out  of  the  river,  to  serve  as  a  memorial  of 
the  miracle  in  after  times.  Now  the  feet  of  Israel's 
mighty  host  were  pressing  the  soil  of  Canaan,  and  the 
hearts  of  their  enemies  melted  at  their  approach. 

Nearly  six  hundred  years  later,  two  remarkable  men 
were  standing  at  or  near  this  place,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Jordan.  They  are  Elijah  and  Elisha ;  and 
fifty  sons  of  the  Prophets,  back  on  an  eminence,  are 
watching  them  with  intense  interest.  Elijah  takes  off 
his  outer  robe  or  mantle,  wraps  it  together,  and  smites 
the  waters.  They  at  once  divide  hither  and  thither, 
and  the  two  pass  over  on  dry  ground.  While  they  are 
talking  together  on  that  plain  beyond,  suddenly 
"  there  appeared  a  chariot  of  fire  and  horses  of  fire, 
and  parted  them  both  asunder;  and  Elijah  went  up 
by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven."  "Wonderful  translation  ! 
glorious  vision  !  Elisha  saw  it  and  cried,  "'My  father  ! 
my  father!  the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen 
thereof."  He  caught  the  mantle  of  the  ascending 


256  PROPHETS  OF  THE  JORDAN. 

Prophet,  returned  to  the  Jordan,  and  swept  its  waters 
with  it,  calling  upon  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah.  Another 
miracle  divided  the  river,  and  the  lone  Prophet  re- 
crossed  it.  The  young  men  who  had  watched  him 
perceived,  as  he  returned  to  them,  that  the  spirit  of 
Elijah  rested  upon  Elislia,  and  they  bowed  before  him 
to  the  ground. 

Nearly  a  thousand  years  after  the  passage  of  the 
Israelites,  an  event  transpired  here,  perhaps  at  this 
very  spot,  of  most  thrilling  interest.  O  Jordan  !  thou 
wast  honored  by  the  Lord  of  Life  and  Glory,  who 
bowed  his  holy  form  in  thy  river,  and  made  it  forever 
sacred.  Along  those  hills  and  vales  of  the  wilderness 
of  Judea,  in  this  region  of  the  Jordan,  and  beyond 
the  river,  came  the  bold  and  earnest  Forerunner, 
preaching  repentance,  and  the  kingdom  of  heaven  at 
hand,  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah.  And  this, 
too,  was  the  place  where  Elijah  last  appeared.  How 
alike  they  were — these  two  great  Prophets  of  the  Jor- 
dan wilderness — alike  in  dress,  in  character,  in  their 
sublime  utterance  of  truth,  the  one  under  the  Old 
Dispensation,  the  other  the  herald  of  the  JSTew.  Here 
came  John  the  Baptist,  preaching  in  "  raiment  of 
camel's  hair,"  with  a  "  leathern  girdle  round  his  loins" 
- — clad  like  the  present  sons  of  that  desert — eating  the 
"  locusts  and  wild  honey  "  of  the  wilderness.  "  He 
came  baptizing,"  says  the  Eev.  Mr.  Stanley,  of  the 
Church  of  England,  "  that  is,  signifying  to  those  who 
came  to  him,  as  he  plunged  them  under  the  rapid  tor- 
rent, the  forgiveness  and  forsaking  of  their  former 
sins.  Ablutions  in  the  East,  have  always  been  more 
or  less  a  part  of  religious  worship — easily  performed 


BAPTISM    OF   CHRIST.  257 

and  always  welcome.  Every  synagogue,  if  possible, 
was  by  the  side  of  a  stream  or  spring  ;  every  mosque 
still  requires  a  fountain  or  basin  for  lustrations  in  its 
court.  But  no  common  spring  or  tank  would  meet 
the  necessities  of  the  multitudes  who,  from  Jerusalem 
and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan, 
came  to  him,  confessing  their  sins.  The  Jordan, 
by  the  very  peculiarity  of  its  position,  which  renders 
its  functions  so  unlike  those  of  other  Eastern  streams, 
now  seemed  to  have  met  with  its  fit  purpose.  It  was 
the  one  river  of  Palestine — sacred  in  its  recollections 
— abundant  in  its  waters  ;  and  yet,  at  the  same  time, 
the  river,  not  of  cities,  but  of  the  wilderness — the 
scene  of  the  preaching  of  those  who  dwelt  not  in 
kings'  palaces,  nor  wore  soft  clothing.  On  the  banks 
of  the  rushing  stream  the  multitudes  gathered ;  the 
priests  and  scribes  from  Jerusalem ;  the  publicans 
from  Jericho  and  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth ;  the  sol- 
diers on  their  way  from  Damascus  to  Petra  ;  the  peas- 
ants from  Galilee,  with  ONE  from  Nazareth.  The  tall 
reeds  or  canes  in  the  jungles  waved,  shaken  by  the 
wind ;  the  pebbles  of  the  bare  clay-hills  lay  around,  to 
which  the  Baptist  pointed  as  being  capable  of  being 
transformed  into  children  of  Abraham  ;  and  at  their 
feet  rushed  the  refreshing  stream  of  the  never-failing 
river." 

Such  was  the  scene,  when  the  Mightier,  of  whom 
John  spake,  came  to  the  Jordan  to  be  baptized  of  him. 
Recognizing  the  Son  of  God,  he  shrank  in  such  a  holy 
presence,  and  said,  "I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of 
thee."  But  Jesus  assured  him — "  Thus  it  becometh 
us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness."  And  they  went  down 


258  BATHING    OF    THE    PILGRIMS. 

the  bank,  and  the  Blessed  Saviour  was  baptized  in  the 
Jordan.  "  There,"  observes  Stanley,  "  began  that  sa- 
cred rite  which  has  since  spread  throughout  the  world, 
through  the  vast  baptisteries  of  the  Southern  and 
Oriental  Churches,  gradually  dwindling  to  the  fonts 
of  the  North  and  West ;  the  plunges  beneath  the 
water  diminishing  to  the  few  drops  which  are  now,  in 
most  churches,  the  sole  representative  of  the  full 
stream  of  the  Descending  Kiver." 

How  sacred,  how  solemn  is  such  a  place  !  How 
thrilling,  how  divine  its  associations  !  Jesus  was  here 
— here  he  was  baptized — here  the  heavens  opened  at 
the  scene.  Here  was  heard  the  approving  voice  of 
the  Father,  and  here  the  Spirit  Dove  came  down  upon 
the  Lamb  of  God.  The  devout  tourist  would  scarcely 
leave  such  a  spot  before  bathing  in  the  hallowed 
river.  So  I  felt,  as  thrice  I  bowed  my  head  in  the 
Jordan  and  heard  the  murmur  of  its  waters  above  me. 

Had  my  visit  to  the  Jordan  been  a  few  weeks  later, 
at  the  Greek  Easter,  I  might  have  witnessed  that  sin- 
gular and  exciting  scene,  the  bathing  of  the  pilgrims, 
which  is  an  annual  occurrence.  From  all  the  East, 
and  from  most  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  pilgrims 
gather  at  Jerusalem,  and  to  the  number  of  several 
thousands  go  down  to  Jericho  and  encamp,  and  early 
the  next  morning  repair  to  the  Jordan,  to  bathe  in  the 
sacred  river  where  our  Lord  was  baptized.  It  is  a 
motley  crowd,  under  the  escort  of  a  Turkish  guard. 
They  plunge  into  the  stream,  most  of  them  in  white 
dresses  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  then  kept  as 
the  shrouds  in  which  they  are  to  be  buried.  The  pil- 
grimage, often  long  and  painful,  they  deem  highly 


DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  JORDAN.          259 

meritorious  ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  it,  and 
children  are  frequently  brought  to  receive  the  one 
immersion  or  bath,  which  will  save  them  the  expense 
and  peril  of  a  pilgrimage  in  after  life. 

Reluctantly  we  left  the  Jordan,  and  not  till  we  had 
sung  the  "  Shining  Shore,"  and  "  On  Jordan's  rugged 
banks  I  stand,"  thinking  of  dear  ones  who  had  passed 
over  into  the  heavenly  Canaan,  beyond  the  river, 
since  we  left  home,  and  that  blessed  hope  and  faith 
that  look  for  a  Divine  hand  to  divide  the  stream,  or 
give  support  in  its  swellings,  when  our  feet  come  to 
touch  its  waters. 


XXII. 

&  to 


THE  sun  was  nearing  the  high  lulls  of  Judea,  when  we 
made  our  way  westward  from  the  Jordan  in  the  track 
of  the  Israelites  under  Joshua,  to  their  encampment 
at  Gilgal.  In  a  little  more  than  two  hours,  traversing 
mostly  a  level  plain,  with  a  small  growth  of  shrubs 
and  grass  here  and  there  on  the  arid  sandy  soil,  we 
reached  our  tents,  on  a  little  eminence  just  beyond 
which  flowed  the  brook  Cherith,  now  called  Kelt. 
Perhaps  our  tents  covered  a  portion  of  the  Israelites' 
camp  at  Gilgal.  And  as  I  went  down  to  the  brook 
and  drank  of  its  pure  sweet  water,  it  might  have  been 
at  the  place  where  Elijah  drank  and  was  fed  by  the 
ravens,  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago.  Over  the 
brook  is  a  miserable-looking  village,  of  low  filthy  huts, 
like  those  on  the  Nile,  and  guarded  by  hedges  of 
thorn-bushes.  Some  of  the  swarthy  inhabitants  ga- 
ther around  our  tents,  appearing  more  dirty,  ragged 
and  degraded  than  is  common.  One  fellow  is  most 
fantastically  arrayed.  That  wretched  village  is  pro- 
bably the  site  of  Roman  Jericho,  and  a  part  of  ancient 
Jericho,  stretching  farther  to  the  northwest.  A  solit- 
ary stone  building,  in  a  ruinous  condition,  is  all  that 
remains  of  the  city,  and  that  is  called  the  house  of 
Zaccheus. 


THE    CITY    OF    PALM-TKEES — GILGAL.  261 

Jericho  had  a  beautiful  situation.  It  must  have 
presented  a  splendid  and  imposing  appearance,  as  the 
Israelites  surveyed  it  from  their  camp  at  Gilgal.  It 
lay  between  there  and  the  gray,  barren,  bold  moun- 
tains of  Judea,  rising  abruptly  in  the  west.  It  was 
embowered  in  a  magnificent  grove  of  palm-trees, 
stretching  far  to  the  north  and  south.  The  walls  and 
towers  of  the  city,  "high  and  fenced  up  to  heaven," 
rose  proudly  above  the  grove — the  walls  over  which 
the  spies  had  been  let  down  from  the  house  of  Rahab, 
and  were  concealed  in  the  "  mountain"  back  of  the 
city,  while  their  pursuers  vainly  sought  them  at  the 
Jordan.  Mighty  as  were  those  walls,  they  were  soon 
to  fall  by  the  signal  power  of  God,  in  the  presence  of 
the  encompassing  Israelites. 

Here,  at  Gilgal,  after  the  fall  of  Jericho,  the  camp 
and  tabernacle  remained  till  the  latter  was  removed 
to  Shiloh.  Here  Joshua  marshaled  his  armies,  and 
led  them  up  northward  to  the  battle  of  Ai,  near 
Bethel.  Here  Achan's  crime  was  detected,  and  he 
was  punished  with  death  in  the  adjacent  Yalley  of 
Acbor.  Here  came  Samuel  from  year  to  year,  and 
held  his  court  as  a  judge  in  Israel.  Here  the  king- 
dom was  renewed  to  Saul,  and  here  he  took  the  fatal 
steps  which  led  to  the  loss  of  that  kingdom.  u  And 
Samuel  hewed  Agag  in  pieces  before  the  Lord  in  Gil- 
gal." Here  came  David  on  his  return  from  exile,  and 
was  met  by  thousands  of  people. 

After  the  rebuilding  of  Jericho,  it  was  the  seat  of  a 
school  of  the  prophets,  and  often  visited  by  Elijah  and 
Elisha.  One  of  the  most  important  springs,  flowing 
from  the  hills,  watering  the  plain  and  supplying  the 


262  JEKICHO — QUAKANTANIA. 

city,  liad  become  worthless  and  blighting,  and  was 
healed  by  Elisha.  Up  the  wild  mountain  pass,  a  day's 
journey  to  Bethel,  the  prophet  was  going  when  lie 
was  mocked  by  the  wicked  children,  whom  the  two 
she-bears  from  a  neighboring  forest  destroyed.  Elisha 
appears  to  have  been  at  Gilgal  when  he  was  visited 
by  Naaman,  whom  he  sent  to  the  Jordan  to  be  cured 
of  his  leprosy.  In  later  times,  when  the  Roman  sway 
extended  over  Palestine,  Jericho,  with  its  palm-groves 
and  balsam  gardens,  was  given  by  Antony  to  Cleopatra. 
Of  her,  Herod  the  Great  bought  them,  and  made  this 
one  of  his  royal  cities,  which  he  adorned  with  many 
stately  buildings,  and  here  that  monster  of  iniquity 
died. 

Many  wonderful  scenes  had  transpired  at  Jericho. 
Distinguished  prophets  and  mighty  princes  had  been 
there,  but  at  length,  in  the  person  of  our  blessed  Lord 
it  had  a  visitor  greater  than  them  all :  and  some  of  His 
gracious  words  and  astonishing  works  are  forever  as- 
sociated with  the  place.  After  His  baptism,  He  was 
led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness.  Then  fol. 
lowed  the  long  fasting  and  the  temptation.  It  was 
doubtless  to  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  back  of  Jericho, 
up  to  which  the  Saviour  was  led,  passing  near  or 
through  the  city.  The  boldest  of  those  lofty,  white 
limestone  hills  is  called  Quarantania^  from  the  forty 
days'  fasting  of  our  Lord.  It  rises  abruptly  from  the 
verdant  plain,  its  rugged  side  dotted  with  the  dark 
openings  of  numerous  caves  and  grottoes,  once  ten- 
anted by  hermits,  and  its  summit  is  crowned  by  a 
email  chapel.  Tradition  also  makes  this  the  high 


EIHA APPLES  OF  SODOM.  263 

mountain  where  Satan  showed  Jesus  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  world. 

The  sun  was  not  much  above  the  mountains  of  Moa.b, 
when  we  left  our  camping  ground  near  the  brook 
Cherith,  where  our  slumbers  had  been  somewhat  dis- 
turbed by  barking  dogs,  braying  donkeys,  and  tramp- 
ing horses.  "We  rode  through  the  filthy  hut-village  of 
Riha,  with  its  barracks  of  thorn-brush,  crossing 
the  brook  and  other  streams,  bordered  by  fine 
patches  of  luxuriant  wheat  and  other  growing  crops. 
These  cultivated  spots  had  a  green  and  beautiful  ap- 
pearance, in  the  midst  of  the  general  barrenness  and 
desolation.  They  showed  what  capabilities  are  in  the 
soil,  and  how,  with  proper  irrigation  from  those  abun- 
dant fountains,  and  a  suitable  tillage,  the  whole  plain 
of  Jericho  could  be  made  fruitful  as  a  blooming  gar- 
den, or  as  the  vale  of  Jordan  when  it  first  met  the 
eyes  of  Lot.  Such,  doubtless,  it  will  become,  when  it 
passes  into  other  and  more  enterprising  hands. 

We  observed  thorn  and  other  trees,  and  a  peculiar 
kind  near  the  brook  Cherith,  bearing  a  fair  round  yel- 
low fruit,  tempting  to  the  eye,  but  bitter,  nauseous, 
and  said  to  be  poisonous.  It  is  called  by  some  the 
Apples  of  Sodom.  The  ancient  grove  of  palms,  so 
majestic  and  beautiful,  has  entirely  disappeared. 
About  twenty  years  ago,  travelers  speak  of  seeing  a 
solitary  palm-tree,  but  that  lone  representative  of  the 
past  long  since  disappeared.  We  noticed  a  few  old 
hewn  stones  and  pottery  mounds,  indicating,  probably, 
the  site  of  ancient  Jericho.  On  our  left,  near  the 
base  of  Quarantania,  we  saw  the  stone  remains  of  old 


264  THE   FOUNTAIN    OF   ELISHA. 

sugar  mills,  in  operation,  perhaps,  two  thousand  years 
ago. 

But  now  we  come  to  'Ain  es-Sultan,  the  Fountain 
of  Elisha — the  identical  spring,  it  would  seem,  into 
which  that  prophet  cast  the  salt,  and  it  was  miracu- 
lously healed.  At  the  foot  of  the  hills,  it  bubbles  np 
profusely  into  a  rude  reservoir,  and  then  flows  away 
in  a  clear  stream  of  sufficient  size  and  force  to  carry  a 
mill  at  once.  And  so  its  pure  sweet  waters  have 
bubbled  and  flowed  since  the  day  when  Elisha  stood 
at  its  margin,  and  wondrously  healed  the  fountain. 
How  interesting  to  stand  there,  to  sit  down  by  the 
fountain-side,  and  drink  of  the  spring  where,  no  doubt, 
the  prophet  quenched  his  thirst,  and  where,  perhaps, 
our  blessed  Lord  himself  had  come  and  drank. 

Standing  on  the  high  bank  from  under  which  the 
fountain  gushes  out,  and  looking  over  ihe  whole  range 
of  the  plain,  what  thrilling  associations  and  emotions 
are  awakened  !  What  a  wonderful  cluster  of  Scripture 
localities  are  in  view  !  What  a  long,  changing,  event- 
ful history  is  there !  Through  the  varied  scenes  of 
the  drama,  what  forms  and  figures  move !  Patriarchs 
and  prophets,  kings  and  conquerors,  and  our  Divine 
Lord  himself  have  been  there.  At  my  feet  is  all  that 
remains  of  the  great,  powerful,  and  walled  city  of 
Jericho.  The  mountains  back  of  me,  and  those  beyond 
the  Jordan,  remain'as  of  old,  but  all  else  how  changed  ! 
I  can  look  down  where  the  Cities  of  the  Plain  stood, 
where  Lot  heard  the  angel  voice,  "  Escape  to  the 
mountain."  I  can  see  the  heights  where  Moses  viewed 
"the  landscape  o'er,"  and  ascended  to  glory,  and 
where  Elijah  followed  in  a  chariot  of  fire.  I  can  look 


SCRIPTURE   SITES   AND    SCENES.  265 

far  up  the  valley,  and  trace  the  windings  of  the  Jordan 
downward  to  where  it  was  thrice  miraculously  divided, 
where  the  stern,  earnest  Forerunner  preached  and  bap- 
tized, and  where  our  blessed  Redeemer  bowed  his  sa- 
cred form  in  the  Descending  River.  Across  this  plain 
He  went  up  to  the  wilderness  to  fast  and  to  be  temp- 
ted. Over  it  He  subsequently  walked  with  his  dis- 
ciples. Coming  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan, 
conversing  with  the  sons  of  Zebedee  in  regard  to  their 
singular  request,  they  reach  the  palm-shaded  bor- 
ders of  Jericho,  and  there  sat  blind  Bartimeus,  whom 
He  healed ;  and  there  was  the  sycamore  from  whence 
He  called  the  tax-gatherer  Zaccheus.  Nothing  in  all 
thy  history,  O  City  of  Palms,  is  so  beautiful  as  these 
scenes  of  mercy  and  salvation  !  What  a  memorable 
visit  of  Jesus  to  Jericho  !  Gracious,  heavenly,  and 
joyful  words  fell  from  His  lips  here — words  that  have 
comforted  and  gladdened  many  a  heart  since  they 
were  heard  by  the  poor  beggar  and  the  rich  collector. 
Solemn,  thrilling,  earnest  lessons  and  eloquent  voices, 
come  to  the  heart  from  all  these  places  and  associations. 
The  perished  cities  speak  of  the  doom  of  sinners. 
]STebo  speaks  of  the  saint's  prospects  and  of  heaven. 
The  Jordan,  of  following  Jesus,  and  the  believer's  safe 
passage  over  the  river  to  his  home.  The  battles  of 
Joshua,  of  the  victories  of  faith  after  we  have  enlisted 
for  Christ.  The  fountain  at  my  feet  murmurs  of  the 
Fountain  opened  for  sin.  Its  being  divinely  healed  is 
an  emblem  of  a  soul  renewed  and  purified,  hence- 
forth to  flow  on  in  a  tide  of  everlasting  salvation.  Be- 
fore leaving  we  sang  "  The  voice  of  free  grace,"  and 
"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight." 

12 


266  THE   PASS   OF   ADUMMIM. 

After  our  Lord's  entertainment  at  the  house  of  Zac- 
cheus  in  Jericho,  and  His  uttering  of  the  solemn  par- 
able of  the  pounds,  "He  went  before,  ascending 
up  to  Jerusalem."  He  took  the  usual  path,  the  only 
thoroughfare  between  the  two  cities.  It  remains  the 
same  to-day — a  road  "  ascending  up" — an  almost  con- 
tinual climbing  of  high  hills.  In  this  path  it  was  my 
privilege  to  go,  tracing  the  footsteps  of  our  blessed 
Saviour. 

After  leaving  the  Fountain  of  Elisha,  we  turned 
southward  for  a  little  time,  along  the  fertile  margin  of 
the  plain  of  Jericho,  under  the  high  Judean  hills. 
Crossing  again  the  Cherith,  we  turned  to  the  right 
near  the  base  of  Quarantania,  and  entering  the  wild, 
deep  gorge  of  Wady  el-Kelt,  we  began  to  climb  up 
our  narrow  path  among  the  mountains.  Far  down 
on  our  right,  at  the  bottom  of  the  precipitous  ravine, 
the  Cherith  flows  like  a  silver  ribbon.  On  our  left, 
and  all  about  us,  are  lofty,  bold,  gray  and  white  lime- 
stone slopes  and  summits,  giving  to  the  region  an  as- 
pect lonely,  desolate,  and  sublime.  The  wild  pass  we 
are  ascending  is  the  "  going  up  to  Adummim,"  men- 
tioned by  Joshua  in  his  description  of  the  boundary, 
as  lying  on  "  the  south  side  of  the  river,"  or  brook. 
Our  course  is  westward,  over  flinty  rocks,  on  the  edge 
of  this  glen  or  abyss,  whose  almost  perpendicular  walls 
are  nearly  five  hundred  feet  high.  Caves  and  grot- 
toes are  in  their  sides,  once  the  abodes  of  hermits  and 
anchorites,  and  the  ruins  of  a  few  chapels  crown  the 
rugged  heights  beyond.  We  now  pause  and  look 
back,  from  our  high  and  comanding  elevation,  to  take 
one  last  near  view  of  the  plain  of  Jericho,  the  Jordan 


FOOTSTEPS   OF  JESUS — A  PLACE   OF   THIEVES.        267 

valley,  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  adjacent  mountains. 
The  view  is  wide  and  varied,  grand  and  gloomy,  em- 
bracing numerous  Scripture  sites,  with  which  are  as- 
sociated some  of  the  most  interesting  and  thrilling 
events  of  sacred  history. 

We  journey  on,  and  I  think  of  that  last  journey 
of  Jesus  over  this  same  path,  going  up  from  the  house 
of  Zaccheus,  his  new  friend  in  Jericho,  to  the  house 
of  Lazarus,  his  older  friend  in  Bethany.  It  was  just 
one  week  before  His  crucifixion,  that  He  passed  along 
here,  over  these  same  flat  rocks  that  are  beneath  my 
feet.  O,  what  a  week  was  that !  How  crowded  with 
blessed  and  tender  instructions,  with  strange,  solemn, 
and  wonderful  events  ! 

"We  come  to  the  summit  or  rather  shoulder  of  a  hill, 
and  begin  to  descend.  The  region,  broken  up  into 
high  elevations  and  deep  ravines,  is  wild,  gloomy  and 
desolate.  A  little  way  from  our  path,  on  the  right, 
are  the  stone  ruins  of  some  ancient  building-  Our 
guides  tell  us  it  is  the  remains  of  the  inn  to  which 
the  good  Samaritan  took  the  poor  traveler  who,  in 
coming  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  fell  among 
thieves,  who  stripped  and  wounded  him,  and  left  him 
half  dead.  This  spot  has  always  been  noted  as  the 
lurking-place  of  robbers.  And  no  traveler  now  passes 
through  there,  without  perceiving  how  admirably 
adapted  the  region  is  for  deeds  of  violence  and  blood, 
especially  if  he  gets  a  sight  of  the  wild,  fierce,  demo- 
niac-looking Bedawin,  crossing  the  path,  skulking  in  the 
ravines,  or  hanging  around  the  rocks.  I  saw  in  that 
vicinity  several  such  in  their  tattered  garments,  with 
their  lances,  long  guns,  pistols  and  clubs,  watching  an 


268  MUSTAPHA — BETHANY. 

opportunity  to  pounce  upon  the  solitary  or  unprotected 
traveler.  Ibrahim  was  continually  cautioning  us  to 
keep  together.  Some  years  ago,  at  this  most  dangerous 
part  of  the  road,  an  English  gentleman  was  way-laid, 
stripped,  wounded  and  left  for  dead.  Very  likely  he 
might  have  been  thinking  of  our  Saviour's  account 
when  he  fell  under  the  Bedawy's  club.  As  we  were 
passing,  I  intimated  to  Mustapha,  one  of  our  sturdy 
Arab  assistants,  to  designate  the  place  where  the 
scene  in  the  Gospel  narrative  transpired.  In  a  short 
time  he  pointed  to  the  ground,  and  then  with  both 
hands  swung  his  huge  stick  within  a  few  inches  of  my 
head,  as  a  partial  illustration  of  the  scene.  In  a  val- 
ley a  little  further  along,  we  sat  down  to  our  lunch 
amidst  some  old  ruins  near  a  little  fountain,  perhaps 
the  same  that  Joshua  calls  "  the  waters  of  En- 
shemesh." 

Climbing  along  this  bleak,  hilly  region,  amidst 
slight  showers  of  rain,  an  hour's  ride  brings  us  near 
to  Bethany.  Emerging  from  the  "  wilderness  of 
Judea,"  wre  begin  to  ascend  the  southeastern  slope  of 
Olivet.  Bethany  comes  into  view.  Here,  as  we 
reach  the  border  of  the  town,  is  the  place  where  Mar- 
tha came  to  meet  Jesus,  and  in  her  regretful  anguish 
greeted  him :  "  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died."  Then  Mary  came  here  and 
addressed  Him  in  the  same  words.  He  wras  beyond 
the  Jordan  when  they  sent  to  their  Lord  the  message 
— "He  wrhom  thou  lovest  is  sick."  Down  this  long 
dreary  path,  through  the  valley,  and  over  these  dark, 
bleak  hills,  they  had  gazed  with  anxious  expectation, 
and  watched  for  His  approach.  O  long  and  sad  hours 


JESUS    AT   BETHANY.  269 

and  days !  but,  after  three  suns  had  set  upon  their 
brother's  grave,  the  form  of  Jesus  was  seen  coming  up 
the  ascent.  And  here  they  met  Him,  and  heard  His 
glorious  words  of  Resurrection  and  Life  and  Immor- 
tality. Here  came  the  sympathizing  Jews  and  min- 
gled theirs  with  Mary's  tears.  Here  the  Redeemer 
"  groaned  in  spirit  and  was  troubled,  and  said,  Where 
have  ye  laid  him  ?"  And  here  Jesus  wept.  O  Beth- 
any !  how  sweet  and  hallowed  are  thy  associations  with 
Jesus  !  How  much  of  His  human  side,  His  precious 
love,  His  dear  friendship  and  tender  sympathy  thou 
didst  witness !  The  night  before  His  betrayal,  He 
came  to  visit  and  feast  with  His  friends  in  thee.  His 
last  look  upon  earth  was  upon  thee  ;  for  the  risen  Lord 
led  his  disciples  "  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany" — to  that 
shady  ridge  between  thee  and  Olivet's  summit — "  and 
He  lifted  up  His  hands  and  blessed  them,  and  was 
parted  from  them,  and  was  carried  up  to  heaven." 

"  Jesus  wept !  those  tears  are  over, 

But  His  heart  is  still  the  same  ; 
Kinsman,  Friend,  and  elder  Brother 

Is  His  everlasting  name. 

Saviour,  who  can  love  like  thee, 

Gracious  One  of  Bethany. 

"  Jesus  wept !  and  still  in  glory, 

He  can  mark  each  mourner's  tear; 
Living  to  retrace  the  story 

Of  the  hearts  He  solaced  here. 

Lord,  when  I  am  called  to  die, 

Let  me  think  of  Bethany." 


XXIII. 

(Kitg  flf  %  tot  ling— <§ 

ONCE  more  in  Jerusalem,  to  spend  a  few  days,  inclu- 
ding another  precious  Sabbath,  and  to  visit  over  and 
over  again  localities  of  most  sacred  and  tender  interest. 
Around  no  city  in  the  world  do  such  hallowed  as- 
sociations cluster.  "No  other  spot  has  been  so  honored 
of  God.  None  has  such  a  wonderful  history.  No  city 
has  been  loved  like  this.  The  mountains  in  and  round 
about  it  are  unparalleled  in  the  scenes  they  have  wit- 
nessed. ~No  hills  or  summits  have  such  associations 
as  Moriah  and  Zion,  Calvary  and  Olivet.  Every  foot 
of  soil  is  sacred  ;  every  rock  has  its  story  ;  every  foun- 
tain its  memories  ;  and  every  path  its  footprints  of 
God.  I  think  of  the  glories  of  the  past — the  Temple 
and  the  throngs  who  came  to  worship  in  it — and  I  do 
not  wonder  that  God's  people  should  sing  :  "  His  foun- 
dation is  in  the  holy  mountains.  The  Lord  loveth  the 
gates  of  Zion  more  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob. 
Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee,  O  city  of  God." 

"  And  throned  on  her  hills  sits  Jerusalem  yet, 
But  with  dust  on  her  forehead  and  chains  on  her  feet 
For  the  crown  of  her  pride  to  the  mocker  hath  gone, 
And  the  holy  Shechinah  is  dark  where  it  shone." 

Compared  with  its  former  greatness  and  glory,  Jeru- 
salem is  scarcely  more  than  a  ruin  now.      It  is,  how- 


JERUSALEM   AS    IT    WAS   AND   IS'.  271 

ever,  a  walled  city,  nearly  square,  and  contains,  pro- 
bably, not  over  15,000  inhabitants,  comprising  in  the 
order  of  numbers,  Jews,  Moslems,  Greeks,  Latins,  Ar- 
menians, and  others.  The  hills  and  valleys  remain 
much  as  they  were  in  ancient  times.  Some  relics  of 
the  old  walls  and  towers  are  left.  Pools  and  fountains 
still  exist  or  flow  as  in  former  days.  A  few  trees- 
olive,  fig,  palm,  cypress,  and  pomegranate — remain  as 
representatives  of  those  that  once  crowned  the  hills  or 
adorned  the  gardens.  As  I  walk  on  the  walls,  or  make 
the  circuit  of*the  city  without  them,  imagination  is 
ever  busy  in  restoring  the  original  grandeur  of  this 
City  of  the  Great  King,  reviewing  its  changeful  history 
and  astonishing  events,  and  seeing  again  the  vast 
throngs  that  once  crowded  its  thoroughfares,  and  the 
wonderful  persons  that  walked  its  streets.  How  deep- 
ly interesting  to  "  walk  about  Zion" — how  beautiful 
the  scenery  by  the  way — if  we  could  see  the  city  as  it 
was  in  its  glory,  the  hills  and  valleys  in  their  verdure 
and  bloom ;  if  we  could  "  tell  the  towers,  and  mark 
the  bulwarks,  and  consider  the  palaces,"  that  were 
long  ago  destroyed  !  The  visitor  is  reminded  of  the 
prophet's  lamentations  :  "  How  doth  the  city  sit  solit- 
ary that  was  full  of  people  ?  How  is  she  become  as 
a  widow !  She  that  was  great  among  the  nations,  and 
princess  among  the  provinces,  how  is  she  become 
tributary !"  O  chosen  city,  how  art  thou  fallen  !  and 
what  glorious,  what  sad  memories  are  thine ! 

"Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 

TJiy  cross  thou  bearest  now  ! 
An  iron  yoke  is  on  thy  neck, 

And  blood  is  on  thy  brow ; 


272  UPPER   POOL    OF   GIHON — TOMBS. 

Thy  golden  crown,  the  crown  of  truth, 

Thou  didst  reject  as  dross, 
And  now  thy  cross  is  on  thee  laid — 
The  Crescent  is  thy  cross." 

I  have  in  a  previous  chapter  described  an  excursion 
'around  Zion,  or  the  southern  part  of  the  city,  from  the 
Bethlehem  Gate  along  the  valleys  of  Hinnom  and 
Jehoshaphat  to  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  I  will  now  at- 
tempt to  describe  the  northern  part  of  the  circuit. 

We  went  out  at  the  Bethlehem  or  Jaffa  Gate,  and 
first  visited  the  Upper  Pool  of  Gihon,  a  few  hundred 
yards  west  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  city.  Here 
the  Valley  of  Hinnom  commences.  This  pool  is  an 
immense  open  tank,  of  rectangular  form,  excavated 
in  the  rock.  It  is  partly  full  of  water.  The  prophet 
Isaiah  was  commanded  of  God  to  go  forth  and  meet 
Ahaz  u  at  the  end  of  the  conduit  of  the  Upper  Pool, 
in  the  highway  of  the  Fullers  Field."  Here,  also, 
Kabshekah  stood  and  delivered  the  haughty  message 
of  his  royal  master,  the  King  of  Assyria,  to  the  Min- 
isters of  Hezekiah.  We  also  read  that  Hezekiah  stop- 
ped the  upper  outflow  of  the  waters  of  Gihon,  and 
brought  it  down  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of 
David. 

Turning  to  the  right,  we  go  round  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  city,  and  make  a  gentle  descent  to  the 
east.  Scattered  olive  trees,  rocks,  and  old  tombs  are 
about  us.  We  are  now  not  far  from  the  Damascus 
Gate,  near  the  middle  of  the  northern  wall.  We  go 
to  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  sometimes  called  the  Tomb 
of  Helena,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  this  gate.  They 
aro  extensive  excavations  in  the  native  rock,  embracing 


OLD   QUAEEY   UNDER   THE   CITY.  273 

an  open  court,  chambers,  passage-ways,  and  various 
side  vaults,  all  smoothly  hewn,  and  exhibiting  much 
skill  and  taste ;  but  as  they  contain  no  inscriptions,  it 
is  uncertain  when  or  for  whom  they  were  made. 
Crawling  into  the  low  and  narrow  entrance,  we  ex- 
plored these  dismal  cells  with  candles. 

Returning  by  the  Grotto  of  Jeremiah,  a  huge  cave 
in  a  rocky  hill-side,  we  come  back  to  the  wall,  a  little 
east  of  the  Damascus  Gate,  and  climbing  over  a 
mound  of  soft  earth  and  rubbish,  we  discern  a  low 
cavernous  entrance  under  the  wall.  Provided  with 
a  guide  and  lights,  we  go  down,  as  we  are  obliged  to, 
in  a  horizontal  position,  and  are  soon  lost  to  daylight. 
We  now  find  ourselves  in  an  immense  rocky  cavern, 
extending  far  under  the  hill  Bezetha,  or  northeastern 
part  of  Jerusalem.  We  explored  this  nether  city  to 
the  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Sometimes 
the  rock-roof  was  high  above  us,  and  at  other  places 
we  had  to  stoop  to  avoid  a  contact  with  it.  We 
walked  over  loose  stones,  and  passed  huge  pieces  of 
rock,  all  white  limestone.  This  was  evidently  an  im- 
mense quarry,  for  the  marks  of  the  quarrying  instru- 
ments are  plainly  seen,  and  blocks  that  have  been 
split  from  the  rocks  remain.  There  can  scarcely  be 
a  doubt  that  the  stones  for  the  Temple-walls  were 
taken  from  this  quarry.  Here  they  were  dressed  and 
prepared,  as  is  evident  from  the  many  piles  of  chip- 
pings.  And  this  agrees  with  the  account  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Temple.  "  And  the  house,  when  it  was  in 
building,  was  built  of  stone,  made  ready  before  it  was 
brought  thither ;  so  that  there  was  neither  hammer 
nor  axe,  nor  any  tool  of  iron,  heard  in  the  house  while 


274:  TOMB    OF   THE    VIRGIN GETH6EMA2TE. 

it  was  building."  Here,  in  Solomon's  time,  we  must 
believe,  those  immense  beveled  stones,  now  seen  in 
the  base  of  the  city  wall  at  its  southeast  corner,  were 
quarried  and  hewn.  Occasionally  we  passed  huge, 
rugged  columns  of  rock,  left  by  the  workmen  to  sup- 
port the  roof.  After  an  hour's  ramble  in  these  vast, 
dark,  and  dreary  halls,  that  so  long  ago  echoed  the 
sounds  of  the  "  tools  of  iron,"  it  was  pleasant  to  emerge 
again  to  daylight.  This  cavern  was  unknown  to 
foreigners  till  a  few  years  since,  when  it  was  dis- 
covered by  Dr.  Barclay,  an  American  missionary, 
who  observed  his  dog  crawling  into  it. 

Proceeding  eastward  down  the  hill,  we  enter  the 
Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  amidst  a  cluster  of  olive  trees, 
and  turning  south  cross  the  bed  of  the  Kedron.  Just 
over  the  bridge,  on  the  left,  is  the  Tomb  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  It  is  a  church  also,  and  I  was  surprised  to 
find  it  so  ample  and  so  brilliantly  adorned.  It  is 
mostly  under  ground,  and  the  main  room,  gleaming 
with  lighted  silver  lamps  and  splendid  altars,  is  reached 
by  a  descent  of  sixty  steps.  About  half  way  down 
on  the  light,  are  shown  in  a  niche  or  little  chapel,  the 
tombs  of  Joachim  and  Anna,  parents  of  the  Virgin. 
Joseph's  tomb  is  on  the  left,  and  Mary's  is  in  the 
church  below. 

A  pilgrim's  tent  was  pitched  near  this  building,  and 
on  some  rude  seats  under  a  large  tree  adjoining  it, 
several  persons  were  sitting  or  lounging,  whenever  I 
passed. 

A  few  rods  to  the  southeast  brings  us  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  enclosure  of  Gethsemane,  on  the 
lower  slope  of  Olivet.  A  stone  wall,  roughly  stuc- 


THE    GARDEN ITS    AGED    OLIVES.  275 

coed,  and  about  seven  feet  high,  surrounds  the  Gar- 
den. The  space  enclosed  contains  perhaps  a  third  of 
an  acre.  We  pass  along  the  north  wall,  turn  the  cor- 
ner, and  find,  near  the  south  end  of  the  east  wall,  a 
low  door  or  gate,  the  only  entrance.  This  is  locked, 
but  a  few  raps  thereon  bring  a  monk,  who  lives  in  a 
little  apartment  in  the  Garden,  and  he  politely  gives 
us  admission. 

We  are  now  in  the  Garden,  and  the  scenes  of  our 
Saviour's  agony  and  betrayal  throng  upon  the  mind 
\vith  indescribable  solemnity  and  power.  Jesus  pray- 
ing, Jesus  suffering,  the  cup  of  anguish,  and  the 
traitor's  kiss — how  vividly  they  reappear  !  We  can 
scarcely  think  of  anything  else.  We  care  not  for  the 
tradition  that  points  out  the  precise  spot  or  grotto 
where  Jesus  prayed,  the  rocky  bank  where  the  three 
Apostles  slept,  and  the  place  of  the  betrayal.  We 
know  they  were  all  near,  and  we  give  ourselves  up  to 
the  great  and  awful  realities  they  witnessed. 

There  is  a  walk  around  the  Garden,  close  to  the 
wall,  to  which,  at  every  few  steps,  rude  pictures  are 
attached,  representing  the  various  scenes  in  our  Lord's 
passion.  In  the  center  of  the  enclosure  there  are  also 
walks,  and  flower-beds  bright  with  roses  and  other 
blossoms.  But  the  most  striking  feature  is  that  of 
eight  very  old,  large  and  venerable  olive  trees.  Their 
trunks  are  partially  decayed,  and  are  supported  by 
stones  piled  about  them.  No  other  trees  on  the  moun- 
tain are  like  them,  so  ancient  and  solemnly  grand.  It 
almost  seemed  that  I  was  looking  upon  the  very  trees 
under  whose  boughs  our  blessed  Lord  and  His  dis. 
ciples  sat — where  He  taught  them  the  glorious  mys- 


276  GETHSEMANE TEARFUL    EMOTIONS. 

teries  of  His  kingdom — and  where  afterwards  He  knelt 
and  prayed  in  agony,  and  His  holy  soul  was  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow.  Though  not  dating  so  far 
back,  yet  the  olive  is  often  very  long-lived,  and  even 
these  may  be  the  immediate  successors,  or  have 
actually  sprung  from  the  roots  of  those  that  were  here  in 
the  time  of  Christ.  With  their  gnarled  trunks  and 
and  scanty  foliage,  these  venerable  trees  are  sacred 
and  affecting  memorials — "  the  most  nearly  approach- 
ing to  the  everlasting  hills  themselves,  in  the  force 
with  which  they  carry  us  back  to  the  events  of  the 
Gospel  history."  In  a  secluded  spot  under  the  shade 
of  one  of  those  glorious  old  trees,  I  read  aloud  the 
names  of  my  Christian  flock,  from  a  list  of  them  I  had 
with  me,  and  commended  all  to  God  in  prayer,  and 
to  the  abounding  grace  of  Him  whose  soul  for  us  was 
here  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death.  Far  apart 
though  we  were,  yet  prayer  and  faith  and  love,  and 
fellowship  with  our  suffering  Redeemer,  brought  us 
near  together,  and  into  sweet  union  with  Him  and 
with  each  other. 

After  we  had  been  nearly  two  hours  in  the  Garden, 
our  little  party  got  together  in  a  retired  place,  near 
the  western  wall,  where  we  might  review  more  min- 
utely the  solemn  memories  of  this  hallowed  spot. 
We  sat  down,  affected  with  its  powerful  and  tender 
associations — our  tearful  interest  all  the  while  pro- 
foundly increasing,  as  I  read  aloud,  one  after  another, 
the  several  accounts  in  the  Gospels  of  our  dear  Savi- 
our's agony  here,  and  concluded  by  reading  the  fifty- 
third  chapter  of  Isaiah.  Our  tears  flowed  most  freely. 
So  overpowering  were  my  emotions,  that  I  could 


PRAYER  MEETING  IN  THE  GARDEN.        27T 

hardly  read  audibly.  I  never  had  such  a  near  view 
of  Christ  before — of  His  majestic  holiness  and  Divine 
glory — of  His  infinite  pity,  tenderness  and  love — of 
the  unspeakable  intensity  of  His  sufferings  and  sor- 
rows— of  the  importance  and  greatness  of  His  atoning 
work — of  the  terrible  guiltiness  and  ill  desert  of  sin  in 
the  sight  of  God — of  my  own  unutterable  unworthiness 
and  sinfulness,  and  the  sweet,  glorious  preciousness  of 
Jesus  as  a  Saviour.  I  never  before  felt  such  a  per- 
sonal nearness  to  Him,  or  had  such  a  vivid  sense  of 
His  enduring  all  that  unsearchable  agony  for  me.  If 
I  had  not  then  been  conscious  of  a  sweet  hope  in  that 
suffering  Saviour,  a  loving  reliance  upon  Him,  and  a 
personal  interest  in  His  blood  and  righteousness,  I 
should  have  been  most  miserably  wretched.  So  doubt- 
less we  all  felt,  as  we  kneeled  down  there  where  our 
blessed  Lord  had  knelt  and  prayed,  and  poured  out  in 
tears  and  cries  our  souls  to  Him,  recalling  the  bitter 
anguish  of 

" that  dark  and  doleful  night, 


When  powers  of  earth  and  hell  arose 
Against  the  Son  of  God's  delight, 
And  friends  betrayed  Him  to  His  foes." 

From  the  Garden,  the  whole  eastern  wall  of  the  city, 
with  the  slope  of  the  hill  below,  can  be  seen,  and  per- 
haps our  Saviour  caught  a  glimpse  of  Judas  and  his 
band,  issuing  from  a  gate,  or  round  a  corner  of  the 
wall,  just  at  that  moment  when  He  seems  to  speak 
abrubtly  to  His  disciples — "  Rise,  let  us  be  going;  be- 
hold, he  is  at  hand  that  doth  betray  me." 

I  often  visited  this  sacred  enclosure.  The  first 
morning  after  my  arrival  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  last 


278 

morning  of  my  stay  there,  I  lingered  at  this  spot. 
And  who  could  visit  such  a  place,  and  not  be  affected 
to  tears?  "Who  could  feel  indifferent  to  the  lone 
Sufferer  there — the  steadfast  Saviour,  under  the  infi- 
nite pressure  of  a  world's  guilt — the  blessed  Lamb  of 
God,  betrayed,  taken,  and  borne  away  as  a  criminal ! 
O  Gethsemane !  How  strangely  wonderful  are  the 
scenes  thou  hast  witnessed !  How  thy  every  tree,  and 
stone,  and  turf  speaks  of  Jesus  !  The  breeze  in  the 
boughs  whispers  of  His  prayers.  The  dew-drops  on 
thy  rose-leaves  remind  us  of  His  tears.  Each  crim- 
son flower  tells  us  of  His  bloody  sweat.  Sad  and  pre- 
cious Gethsemane !  thou  art  to-day  a  witness  for 
Christ.  Thou,  on  that  everlasting  hill,  dost  seem  to 
repeat  His  instructions  heard  by  thee.  Thou  art  ever 
repeating  the  story  of  His  love,  His  tears,  His  con- 
flicts, His  victories ! 

"  0  Garden  of  Olivet !  thou  dear  honored  spot, 
The  fame  of  thy  wonders  shall  ne'er  be  forgot ; 
The  theme  most  transporting  to  seraphs  above ; 
The  triumph  of  sorrow — the  triumph  of  love  !" 

Kindly  permitted  to  take  a  few  flowers,  rose-leaves, 
an  olive  branch,  and  a  little  box  of  earth  from  the 
Garden,  we  recrossed  the  Kedron,  and  climbed  the 
steep  and  high  ascent  to  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  Near 
the  gate,  on  our  right,  is  a  well  or  fountain,  and  men 
are  raising  water  for  their  horses  and  other  animals. 
A  flock  of  sheep  there,  too,  with  their  keepers  or 
owners,  apparently  counting  them  as  they  each  pass 
under  a  rod,  reminds  us  of  certain  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  suggests  the  locality  of  Bethesda.  "Now 


POOL    OF   BETHESDA.  279 

there  is  at  Jerusalem,  by  the  Sheep  market,  a  Pool, 
which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda."  We 
enter  the  wall  and  turn  a  few  steps  to  the  left,  and 
reach  the  traditional  site  of  this  far-famed  Pool, 
whose  angel-troubled  waters  were  so  efficacious.  It 
is  now  a  large  excavation,  in  a  neglected  and  ruinous 
state.  But  it  is  easy  to  recall  the  five  porches,  filled 
with  the  various  impotent  folk — a  sad  and  sorrowful 
spectacle — as  they  waited  for  a  cure.  "We  think  of 
the  poor  cripple,  suffering  eight  and  thirty  years,  sit- 
ting by  the  brink  of  the  Pool,  and  yet  unable  to  avail 
himself  of  its  virtues.  "We  see  Jesus  come  and  speak 
to  him  kindly,  tenderly,  and  heal  him  by  a  wonderful 
word. 


XXIV. 


I  MIGHT  still  linger  with  interest  at  Jerusalem,  and 
dwell  on  other  chapters  of  its  long  and  wonderful 
history,  its  strange  and  astonishing  scenes.  I  might 
speak  of  climbing  the  massive  Tower  of  David,  one 
of  the  few  relics  of  the  former  city,  and  of  the  glorious 
view  from  its  top  —  of  looking  down  again  from  the 
House  of  Pilate,  at  the  northern  foot  of  Moriah,  upon 
the  broad  and  beautiful  grounds  of  the  Temple,  where 
were  the  home  and  altar  of  Melchisedek;  where  Abra- 
ham offered  his  son  Isaac  ;  where  was  the  threshing- 
floor  of  Oman,  and  the  angel  with  the  drawn  sword 
hovered  above  ;  where  Solomon  built  the  glorious 
Sanctuary  ;  where  our  blessed  Lord  was  often  found 
teaching  the  people  ;  where  multitudes  of  infatuated 
Jews  perished  in  the  burning  Temple  ;  where  now  the 
great  octagonal  mosque,  with  its  splendid  dome,  stands 
in  the  center  of  that  charming  area,  by  far  the  most 
beautiful  building  in  the  Holy  City.  And  while 
thinking  of  all  this,  from  a  minaret  on  my  right  is 
heard  a  shrill  voice  breaking  over  the  stillness  ;  it  is 
the  muezzin's  call  to  prayer.  I  might  speak  of  re- 
peated walks  in  and  around  the  city,  and  on  the  top 
of  its  high,  massive  wall,  and  of  never-  wearying  visits 
to  Calvary,  Gethsemane,  Olivet  and  Bethany.  But 


DEPARTURE    FROM   THE    CITY — SCOPUS.  281 

I  must  tear  myself  away  from  these  sacred  attractions. 
Having  procured  various  little  memorials  of  Jeru- 
salem and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  arrangements  were  at 
length  made  for  our  departure.  We  had  passed  two 
Sabbaths  in  the  Holy  City,  on  each  of  which  we  had 
a  delightful  religious  service,  with  preaching,  in  an 
"  upper  room"  on  Mount  Zion.  The  sermon  on  the 
second  Lord's  day  was  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Booth. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  March  27th,  at  noon,  when 
our  agreeable  party  of  thirteen  Americans  took  leave 
of  these  intensely  interesting  localities.  I  have 
already  mentioned  several  of  our  company  who  had 
visited  Eygpt  together  ;  the  others  were  Messrs.  P. 
Snyder,  of  Albany,  A.  R.  Wiggs,  of  Alabama,  and  the 
"  two  Marys,"  Miss  Foot,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Miss  Bil- 
lings, of  Elmira  ;  and  we  were  now  joined  by  the  Rev. 
J.  L.  Jenkins,  of  Lowell,  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Clarke,  of 
New  Haven,  and  Mr.  Porter,  a  Theological  student,  of 
Boston.  We  went  out  by  the  Jaffa  Gate,  where  we 
first  entered  the  city,  and  turned  to  the  north  into  the 
Damascus  road.  Over  an  uneven  surface,  abounding 
in  rock-ledges  and  tombs,  with  olive  trees  and  occa- 
sional patches  of  cultivated  ground,  we  passed  the  up- 
per end  of  the  Kedron  valley,  and  reached,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  a  mile,  the  heights  of  Mt.  Scopus,  and 
paused  to  take  a  last  look  of  the  city.  The  view  was 
charming  and  delightful,  and  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Jerusalem,  under  the  light  of  a  vernal  sun,  lay  like  a 
beautiful  picture  in  a  frame  of  hills.  Long  and  ear- 
nestly, silently  and  tearfully,  we  gazed,  feeling  that 
we  should  never  again  behold  that  sacred  and  won- 
derful city.  How  clearly  we  see  each  object,  ren- 


282  LAST    VIEW    OF   JERUSALEM. 

dered  familiar  by  frequent  visit  and  observation!  — 
The  encircling  walls  of  massive  stone — the  domes  of 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre — the  Castle  of 
David — the  Mosque  of  Omar,  and  various  minarets 
shooting  their  slender  spires  upward — Zion,  Moriah, 
Bezetha  and  Aksa,  hills  within  the  walls — and  with- 
out, the  slopes  and  heights  of  surrounding  elevations, 
rising  from  the  deep  valleys  of  Hinnom  and  Jehosha- 
pliat,  most  prominent  and  most  tenderly  attractive 
being  those  of  Olivet,  while  the  dark,  wall-like  moun- 
tains of  Moab,  beyond  the  vale  of  the  Jordan,  were 
just  visible,  and  enhanced  the  beauty  and  interest  of 
the  picture.  As  our  moistened  eyes  took  in  this  last 
view  of  the  Holy  City,  and  as  its  unparalleled  events, 
especially  those  connected  with  the  closing  scenes  of 
our  blessed  Saviour's  mission,  came  thronging  upon 
our  minds,  our  emotions,  my  own,  at  least,  are  not  to 
be  described.  I  opened  my  pocket  Bible,  and  read 
aloud  the  forty-eighth  Psalm,  and  from  our  position  we 
could  readily  appreciate  the  glowing  description — 
"  Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is 
Mount  Zion,  on  the  sides  of  the  north,  the  city  of  the 
Great  King."  We  could  appreciate  the  strong  at- 
tachment of  the  captive  Israelites  to  the  city  of  their 
solemnities,  and  felt  like  adopting  their  powerfully 
affectionate  and  plaintive  strains :  "  If  I  forget  thee, 
O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning  ; 
if  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the 
roof  of  my  mouth  ;  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my 
chief  joy."  "Thy  servants  take  pleasure  in  her  stones, 
and  favor  the  dust  thereof."  We  joined  our  voices  in 
singing  these  lines : 


HEIG-HTS    AND    PASSES    OF   BENJAMIN.  283 

«  The  hill  of  Zion  yields 

A  thousand  sacred  sweets, 
Before  we  reach  the  heavenly  fields 
Or  walk  the  golden  streets. 

"  Then  let  our  songs  abound, 

And  every  tear  be  dry  j 
We're  marching  through  Immanuel's  ground 
To  fairer  worlds  on  high. 

"  0  then  my  spirit  faints 

To  reach  the  land  I  love, 
The  bright  inheritance  of  saints, 
Jerusalem  above.'7 

We  then  set  our  faces  to  the  north,  and  going  down 
the  slope,  we  saw  Jerusalem  no  more.  Farewell,  O 
Sacred  City  !  Thy  wonderful  history  extends  through 
long  centuries,  is  crystalized  on  the  immortal  pages 
of  Revelation,  and  embraces  the  most  exciting,  touch- 
ing, tender  and  glorious  scenes.*  What  a  precious 
privilege  to  have  looked  upon  thy  walls,  to  have  en- 
tered thy  gates,  to  have  walked  among  thy  hallowed 
localities — all  of  which  are  now  as  familiar  as  child- 
hood scenes,  and  to  be  recounted  with  perpetual 
pleasure — bright  and  charming  pictures  that  memory 
will  hold  dear  and  cherish  forever  ! 

We  soon  found  ourselves  entering  a  rich  cluster  of 
Scripture  sites,  with  which  are  connected  events  of 
thrilling  interest.  We  are  among  the  heights  and 
passes  of  Benjamin,  on  the  main  road  to  Galilee,  along 
which  our  Divine  Lord  and  His  disciples  often  went, 
and  previously  traversed  by  kings,  prophets  and  patri- 
archs. The  general  appearance  is  that  of  hilly  and 
rocky  desolation.  A  few  stunted  trees  scarcely  at- 


284:  NOB — MIZPEH. 

tract  a  notice.  Isolated  patches  of  cultivated  ground 
seem  a  vain  attempt  at  husbandry,  but  are  often 
really  rich  and  productive.  Old  terraces,  belting  the 
hills  to  their  summits,  indicate  a  former  thrift  which 
might  be  again  renewed.  Plere  and  there,  under  the 
hand  of  cultivation,  are  spots  of  luxuriant  verdure, 
abounding  in  groves  of  olive,  fig,  pomegranate  and 
vines,  showing  the  capacity  of  the  soil  where  all  looks 
forbidding.  On  the  slopes  and  summits  there  are 
frequent  villages,  in  a  ruined  or  dilapidated  state,  that 
are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  gray  rocks 
around  them. 

A  hill  close  on  our  right,  covered  with  old  ruins, 
among  which  are  several  rock-hewn  reservoirs,  is 
.supposed  to  be  the  site  of  Nob,  where  the  priests  were 
slain  by  the  cruel  order  of  Saul;  and  in  the  vale  de- 
clining to  the  east,  David  probably  lay  concealed,  and 
had  his  interview  with  Jonathan.  Farther  to  the  east 
on  a  broad  ridge,  we  see  Anatlioth,  interesting  as  the 
birthplace  of  Jeremiah.  West  of  us  rises  Mizpeh,  a 
conspicuous  commanding  elevation,  often  mentioned  in 
Scripture,  the  scene  of  thrilling  events,  and  the  gath- 
ering of  vast  assemblies  preparatory  to  battle  or  the 
choice  of  a  king.  There  Saul  was  chosen,  and  the 
shout  first  heard  in  Israel,  "  God  save  the  king  !"  To 
this  height  came  the  chivalrous  Crusader,  Richard  of 
England  ;  but  before  looking  upon  Jerusalem,  he 
buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  exclaimed — "  Ah  ! 
Lord  God  !  I  pray  that  I  may  never  see  thy  holy  city, 
if  I  may  not  rescue  it  from  thine  enemies  !"  At  the 
northern  foot  of  Mizpeh,  a  hill  crowned  with  a  vil- 
lage rises  up  from  a  beautiful  plain,  whose  verdure  is 


GIBEON — THE   SUN   STANDING    STILL.  285 

enlivened  with  clustering  vineyards  and  olive  groves. 
This  village  is  Gibeon,  one  of  the  royal  cities  of  Scrip- 
ture history.  Here  that  singular  piece  of  strategy 
was  planned,  that  curious  expedition,  which  beguiled 
the  Israelites  into  a  league  with  the  Gibeonites.  The 
latter  became  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  to 
the  former,  and  up  that  hill  they  carried  the  wood,  and 
from  that  fountain  below  bore  the  water  to  the  altar 
and  the  sanctuary.  On  this  little  plain,  the  five  kings 
of  the  Amorites  encamped  against  the  Gibeonites. 
The  latter  sent  for  Joshua,  and  over  that  broad,  stony 
ridge  at  our  right,  the  Israelites  suddenly  rushed,  and 
came  down  across  our  path  upon  them  with  the  first 
beams  of  the  morning  sun.  They  were  slain  with  a 
great  slaughter  at  Gibeon,  and  driven  westward  over 
the  pass  Beth-boron,  where  many  more  perished  by  the 
falling  stones  and  bail.  It  was  during  this  great  bat- 
tle that  Joshua  commanded  the  sun  to  stand  still  upon 
Gibeon,  and  the  moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon.  "And 
the  sun  stood  still  and  the  moon  obeyed,  until  the 
people  had  avenged  themselves  on  their  enemies. 
And  there  was  no  day  like  that,  for  the  Lord  fought 
for  Israel."  It  was  deeply  interesting  to  look  upon 
the  scene  of  this  stupendous  miracle,  and  from  the 
place  where  it  transpired,  look  up  to  the  same  sun 
now  in  the  sky,  and,  by  faith,  to  the  same  God  in  the 
heavens  above.  He  still  fights  for  His  people  ;  and 
suns,  days  and  ages  wait  for  the  triumph  of  His  king- 
dom. 

Gibeon  is  a  place  of  battles  and  scenes  of  blood. 
Doubtless,  at  this  pool  or  reservoir,  still  seen  seen  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  bill,  Abner  and  Joab  met  at 


236  QIBEAH — KIZPAH'S  GRIEF. 

the  head  of  the  armies  of  Israel  and  Judah.  Before 
them  the  twelve  men  of  Judah  fought  with  the  twelve 
of  Benjamin,  resulting  in  the  slaughter  of  the  twenty- 
four.  Then  followed  the  battle  terminating  in  the 
defeat  of  Aimer  and  the  death  of  Asahel.  Here,  too, 
"  at  the  stone  which  is  in  Gibeon,"  Amasa  was 
treacherously  slain  by  Joab  on  saluting  him,  "Art 
thou  in  health,  my  brother?"  It  was  in  Gibeon  that 
Solomon  offered  a  thousand  burnt-offerings,  and  here 
the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  was  pleased 
that  he  asked  for  wisdom  as  the  best  gift. 

Passing  down  a  rocky  declivity,  over  a  valley,  and 
up  a  steep,  bare  hill,  we  find  on  its  summit  a  confused 
heap  of  ruins,  which  mark  the  site  of  Gibeah — some- 
times called  Gibeah  of  Saul — the  city  that  gave  Israel 
its  first  king.  There  is  a  horrid  story  of  a  Levite,  in 
the  Book  of  Judges,  connected  with  this  place — an 
event  that  resulted  in  nearly  annihilating  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin.  On  this  hill,  the  Gibeonites  hanged  the 
seven  descendants  of  Saul,  in  revenge  for  the  mas- 
sacre of  their  brethren.  And  here  occurred  that 
touching  scene  of  maternal  tenderness,  when  Rizpah, 
the  mother  of  two  of  the  victims,  "  took  sackcloth  and 
spread  it  for  her  upon  the  rock,  from  the  beginning  of 
harvest  until  water  dropped  upon  them  out  of  heaven, 
and  suffered  neither  the  birds  of  the  air  to  rest  on 
them  by  day,  nor  the  beasts  of  the  field  by  night." 
From  April  till  the  early  rain  of  autumn,  that  lone, 
sad  mother  watched  by  the  wasting  skeletons  of  her 
sons,  day.  and  night,  through  the  long  Syrian  summer. 
A  sorrowful  spectacle,  and  yet  how  suggestive  of  the 
strength  of  her  affection,  and  the  depth  of  her  grief! 


EAMAH BEEROTH-— BIBLE    TOPOGRAPHY.  287 

Descending  the  lull,  in  half  an  hour  we  come  to 
Raman  of  Benjamin,  a  small,  poor  village,  with  frag- 
ments of  columns  and  beveled  stones  built  into  the 
modern  houses.  This  site  is  identified,  from  the  Bible 
account  of  its  lying  between  Gibeon  and  Beeroth. 
To  the  latter  place  another  half  hour  brings  us.  It  is 
now  called  Bireh,  and  is  a  large  Mohammedan  village. 
Tradition  makes  this  the  place  where  Joseph  and 
Mary,  having  been  to  Jerusalem  writh  Jesus  when  he 
was  twelve  years  old,  turned  back,  not  finding  Him 
in  their  company. 

We  have  passed  Geba  and  Michmash — lying  off  to 
the  right — places  mentioned  in  Isaiah's  prophetic  des- 
cription of  Sennacherib's  march  towards  the  Holy 
City: 

"  He  is  come  to  Aiath,  he  is  passed  to  Migron ; 

At  Michmash  he  hath  laid  up  his  carriages 

They  are  gone  over  the  passage ; 

They  have  taken  up  their  lodging  at  Geba 

Kamah  is  afraid ;  Gibeah  of  Saul  is  fled. 

Lift  up  thy  voice,  0  daughter  of  Gallim; 

Cause  it  to  be  heard  unto  Laish,  0  poor  Anathoth ! 

Madmenah  is  removed  • 

The  inhabitants  of  Gebim  gather  themselves  to  flee. 

As  yet  shall  he  remain  at  Nob  that  day; 

He  shall  shake  his  hand  against  the  mount  of  the  daughter  of  Zion, 

The  hill  of  Jerusalem." 

With  the  eye  upon  places  mentioned  in  this  highly 
poetic  description,  it  is  easy  to  trace  the  successive 
steps  of  the  proud  Assyrian,  rushing  on  with  his 
mighty  army  amid  the  terrified  inhabitants,  till  at  the 
last  station  he  gets  a  glimpse  of  the  Holy  City  he 
would  despoil.  So  accurate  is  the  topography  of  the 


288  BETHEL   AND   ITS    ASSOCIATIONS. 

Bible,  that  in  wandering  through  the  lands  it  des- 
cribes, their  history  is  reenacted  before  the  eye  of  the 
mind. 

Turning  now  to  the  right  from  the  main  path,  we 
ascend  the  low  southwestern  slope  of  a  stony  hill,  and 
enter  a  village  not  very  attractive  in  its  present  con- 
dition, or  beautiful  in  its  appearance,  but  a  location 
of  deep  and  thrilling  interest ;  for  this  is  the  site  of 
ancient  Bethel,  associated  with  sacred,  sublime  and 
glorious  scenes.  As  we  come  to  this  hill,  and  look 
upon  these  rocks,  and  tread  these  paths,  and  gaze  upon 
those  higher  hills  beyond  and  around,  and  know  and 
feel  that  this  is  indeed  Bethel,  how  do  sweet  and 
sacred  associations  cluster  and  throng  about  us! 
What  wonderful  scenes  have  been  witnessed  here ! 
The  forms  of  venerable  patriarchs  are  before  us — 
altars,  sanctuaries,  vows  and  pledges,  the  worship 
of  God,  the  presence  of  angels — all  are  here,  and 
Heaven  itself  has  been  near  this  spot.  Dreams  of 
glory  and  promises  of  prosperity  cluster  here.  O 
Bethel !  sweet  name  ;  hallowed  place — how  would  I 
like  to  lie  down,  even  with  stones  for  a  pillow,  as  the 
pilgrim  Jacob  rested  here,  worn  and  weary,  with  hea- 
ven's canopy  for  a  tent,  and  the  watchful,  stars  above 
him,  and  dream  gloriously  as  he  dreamed,  and  see 
such  angelic  and  Divine  visions  as  he  saw — heaven 
and  earth  united,  and  a  stairway  up  to  the  Excellent 
Glory.  As  we  entered  the  village,  we  saw  the  tents  of 
a  party  of  friends  already  pitched  near  a  fountain  at 
the  southern  base  of  the  hill ;  and  it  would  have  been 
a  pleasure  to  have  pitched  ours  there  too,  as  the  cun 


PARTING   OF   ABRAHAM    AND    LOT.  289 

was  nearing  the  horizon,  but  they  had  gone  forward 
to  another  camping-ground. 

Bethel  is  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Jerusalem. 
The  present  village,  called  Beitin,  consists  of  some 
twenty  inferior  houses,  mingled  with  fragments  of  an- 
cient ruins.     The  whole  ridge  or  hill  is  exceedingly 
rocky,  and  Jacob  could  find  a  pillow  of  stones  at  any 
place.      It  is   between    two   fertile   valleys,   running 
north  and  south.     Near  the  western  base  of  the  hill 
is  a  massive  old  stone  reservoir.      It  is  a  green  spot 
watered  by  two  little  fountains,  where,  no  doubt,  the 
cattle  of  Abraham  often  drank,  and  where  the  maid- 
ens of  Sarah  came  and  filled  their  pitchers,  just  as  do 
the  Arab  maidens  from  the  village  now.     Here  Abra- 
ham first  pitched  his  tent,  as  he  journeyed  south  on 
his  way  to  Egypt;  and  to  this  spot  he  returned,  "  unto 
the  place  of  the  altar  which  he  had  made  at  the  first." 
It  is  easy  to  fix  the  eye  upon  the  precise  locality  of 
the  patriarch's  tent  on  that  high  hill  or  "  mountain," 
"having  Bethel  on  the  west  and  Ai  on  the  east."    No 
position  in  the  neighborhood  affords  so  fine  a  view  • 
and  from  that  height  Abraham  and  Lot  could  easily 
survey  a  vast  region  to  the  right  and  left.     Lot  looked 
down   thence   upon   the   rich   plain  of  Jordan,  then 
beautiful  in  its  crystal  springs  and  luxuriant  fruitful- 
ness,  and  chose  his  inheritance  among  the  Cities  of  the 
Plain.     They  parted  on  that  hill5  and  Lot  descended 
the  ravine  along  the  thoroughfare  leading  to  Jericho. 
Then  Abraham  was  divinely   directed   to  look  from 
that  hill   over   the   land,  with  the  assurance  that  it 
should  be  his,  and   the   number  of  his  descendants 
should  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth.     Wild  and  dreary 

13 


290  JACOB    AT   BETHEL. 

hills  then  met  the  lone  patriarch's  view,  but  at  length 
they  were  crowned  with  cities  that  flourished  and 
were  remembered  with  honor  long  after  the  blooming 
"  garden,"  with  its  proud  seats  of  a  splendid  but  cor- 
rupt civilization,  was  reduced  to  an  utter  desolation? 
washed  by  the  Sea  of  Death.  It  is  certainly  most 
deeply  interesting  to  visit  and  behold  sites  so  unmis- 
takably identified,  where  Abraham  stood  near  four 
thousand  years  ago.  There  are  the  same  bills,  valleys, 
plains,  and  broad  view  that  met  his  eye.  The  accu- 
racy with  which  the  Bible  describes  these  minute 
geographical  features,  wonderfully  confirms  its  truth. 
About  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  elapse,  and  Jacob, 
flying  from  his  enraged  brother  Esau,  comes  a  soli- 
tary wanderer  to  this  spot,  and  "  tarried  all  night,  be- 
cause the  sun  was  set ;  and  he  took  of  the  stones  of 
the  place,  and  put  them  for  his  pillows,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep,"  and  dreamed  that  glorious  dream  of  the 
ladder  and  the  angels,  and  received  promises  of  bless- 
ing and  prosperity.  He  awoke,  and  saw  but  the 
bleak  hills  and  arching  heavens,  but  deeply  impressed 
with  the  divine  vision,  the  place  was  hallowed,  and  he 
exclaimed,  "  This  is  none  other  than  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  So  the  name  of  the 
place  was  changed  from  Luz  to  Beth-el,  "  House  of 
God."  Here,  after  thirty  years,  Jacob  came  again 
with  his  household,  and  reared  an  altar,  and  was  hon- 
ored with  a  visible  manifestation  of  the  Divine  pre- 
sence. While  they  lingered  here,  "Deborah,  Re- 
bekah's  nurse,  died,  and  she  was  buried  beneath 
Bethel,  under  an  oak;  and  the  name  of  it  was  called 
Allon-bachuth,"  the  oak  of  weeping. 


BETHAVEN — BATTLE    OF    AI.  291 

Bethel  has  a  long  and  varied  history.  From  the 
pillar  that  Jacob  set  up  came  at  length  the  Sanctuary 
of  Bethel,  and  the  Holy  Place  of  the  northern  king- 
dom. Jeroboam  sought  to  rival  the  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, by  building  a  splendid  one  here  after  the 
Egyptian  style,  in  which  feasts  and  assemblies  were 
held,  and  idolatrous  offerings  made  to  the  Golden 
Calf.  The  desecration  of  the  place  finally  gave  it  the 
name  of  Bethaven,  "House  of  Idols."  Prophets 
denounced  divine  judgments  upon  it,  and  the  desola- 
tion that  followed,  and  has  reigned  for  ages,  fulfilled 
the  prediction  :  "  Bethel  shall  come  to  nought."  How 
strange  that  men  could  become  idolators  at  such  a 
place  as  Bethel,  so  hallowed  by  the  presence  of  angels 
and  promised  blessings  of  the  living  God  ! 

A  little  east  of  Bethel  is  Ai,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
sites  in  Palestine,  and  the  next  place  conquered  by 
Joshua  after  the  fall  of  Jericho.  The  first  attempt  to 
capture  it  was  a  failure  ;  but  it  resulted  in  the  convic- 
tion and  execution  of  the  covetous  Achan.  In  the 
second  attack,  an  ambuscade  was  placed  at  night  in 
the  valley  to  the  west,  while  the  main  body  took  their 
position  beyond  the  glen,  on  the  north.  In  the 
morning  they  crossed  the  valley  as  if  to  assault  the 
city,  but  pretending  a  panic,  suddenly  retreated.  The 
stratagem  was  successful.  While  the  male  population 
rushed  out  after  the  fugitives,  Joshua  gave  the  signal 
from  one  of  those  hills  at  the  north,  and  the  "liers-in- 
wait"  at  once  took  possession  of  the  defenceless  city, 
and  laid  it  in  ashes.  I  read  the  Scripture  account  of 
these  battle-scenes  as  we  passed  along  by  the  hills 
and  valleys  where  they  transpired  so  long  ago. 


292  RIMMON    AND    OPHRAtt. 

From  several  of  these  heights  may  be  seen,  a  few 
miles  to  the  northeast,  the  light  chalky  peak  of  Eum- 
mon,  and  the  dark  conical  hill  of  Tayibeh,  which  it 
would  be  interesting  to  visit,  if  we  had  time  to  make 
the  necessary  detour.  The  first  is  the  "  rock  of  Rim- 
mon,"  whither  the  six  hundred  Benjamites  fled  from 
the  terrible  battles  of  Gibeah  in  which  the  crime  of 
their  tribe  was  so  severely  avenged.  There  they 
abode  four  months,  till  at  length  the  Israelites  "  repented 
for  Benjamin  their  brother,"  and  sent  some  to  the 
"  rock  Rimmon  to  call  peaceably  unto  them."  The 
other  height  is  crowned  with  a  village  that  probably 
represents  the  site  of  Ophrah,  to  which  in  the  reign 
of  Saul  one  of  the  "  three  companies"  of  "  spoilers" 
went  from  the  camp  of  the  Philistines  at  Michmash. 
It  is  supposed  also,  from  its  position  on  the  border  of 
the  Jordan  valley  and  from  its  similarity  of  name,  to 
be  the  "  city  called  Ephraim,"  which  was  "  near  to 
the  wilderness,"  and  to  which  our  Lord  retired  with 
His  disciples  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus. 


XXV. 

raira— Spijf— item  nf  prijf- Imr&'s  SHtll. 

DESCENDING-  from  Bethel,  our  northward  course  was 
among  a  succession  of  rocky  hills  and  vales,  with  oc- 
casional patches  of  wheat,  scattered  olives,  vines  and 
figs.  In  an  hour  or  so,  we  came  to  a  scene  of  beauty 
and  luxuriance  springing  up  amidst  the  general  deso- 
lation. It  seemed  hardly  possible  that  there  could  be 
such  fertility  in  a  region  naturally  so  unpromising. 
It  reminds  us  that  we  have  entered  the  territory  of 
Ephraim,  who  was  blessed  with  "  the  precious  fruits 
brought  forth  by  the  sun — and  the  precious  things  of 
the  lasting  hills."  The  village  of  Yebrud  is  on  the  left, 
crowning  an  isolated  eminence,  whose  sides  are  belted 
by  tiers  of  handsome  terraces.  The  skillful  hand  of 
intelligent  cultivation  is  evident.  The  fig  orchards 
are  remarkable  for  their  extent  and  thrifty  appear- 
ance. And  yet  the  region  is  exceedingly  rough  and 
rocky,  as  we  wind  along  steep  declivities,  and  cross 
ravines  where  many  a  wintery  torrent  has  rushed  and 
roared.  The  scenery  is  picturesque,  often  wild  and 
enchanting,  with  old  ruins  sometimes  frowning  from 
the  tops  of  the  stony  hills. 

"We  soon  enter  a  romantic  valley,  called  "Wady-el- 
Jib.  Here,  as  the  first  shadows  of  evening  begin  to 
fall,  our  camping-ground,  dotted  with  white  tents,  is  a 


294  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  EOBBEKS. 

pleasant  sight.     The  remains   of  a  large   cistern   are 
near,  and  not  far  off  a  stream  trickles  from  the  side  of 
a  cliff.     The  appropriate  name  of  this  spring  is  Ain  el- 
Ilaramiyeh,  "  the  Fountain  of  Robbers ;"   and   it  is 
said  that  scarcely   a  year  passes   but   some  bloody 
tragedy  here  transpires.     It  is  a  strange,  wild,  lonely 
spot,  yet  the  adjacent  fields  are  well  cultivated.      In 
surveying  this  narrow,  deep  glen,  in  the  dark  evening, 
and  looking  up  its  terraced  sides  to  the   bright   stars 
above,  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  vast,  oval  amphithe- 
ater, and  reminded  me  of  a  night  view  of  the  Coliseum 
at  Koine.     We  slept  undisturbed,  except,  perhaps,  by 
the  tramping  of  a  horse  or  braying  of  a  donkey   be- 
longing to  our  escort.      In  the  bright,  fresh  morning, 
we  proceeded  up  the  valley,  gradually  widening,  and 
the  hills  becoming  less  steep.      In  our  enjoyment   of 
the  fine  weather  and  romantic  scenery,  we  could  ap- 
preciate the  lively  description   found   in  the   Hand- 
Book:  "The  ride  through   this   district   in   spring   is 
most  charming.     The  terraced  hills  are  so  quaint ;  the 
winding  valleys   so   picturesque ;   the   wild   flowers, 
anemones,  poppies,  convolvolus   and  hollyhocks,    so 
brilliant  and  so  plentiful ;  the  somber   foliage   of  the 
olive,  and  deep  green  of  the  fig,  and  bright  green  of 
the  young  corn  on  the  terraces,  all  give  such  exquisite 
hues  to  the  landscape.     Add  to   this   the  gray   ruins 
perched  on  rocky  hill  tops  ;  and  the  peasants  in  their 
gay   dresses — red,    and   green,    and    white ;    and   the 
strings  of  mules,  and  donkeys,   and   camels,    defiling 
along    the    narrow   paths,   tlieir   bells   awaking    the 
echoes  ;  and  the  Arab  with  his  tufted  spear   or  brass- 
bound  musket ;  and  the  shepherd   leading  his   goats 


SEILUN — SHILOH.  295 

along  the  mountain  side,  or  grouped  with  them  round 
a  fountain  ;  and  the  traveler  from  the  far  west — the 
oddest  figure  among  them  all — with  his  red  face,  and 
white  hat,  and  jaded  hack,  and  nondescript  trappings." 
We  journey  on  amid  such  scenes — rocks,  hills,  val- 
leys, one  or  two  little  villages,  looking  like  loose  gray 
stone  heaps  on  the  distant  oval  summits  or  slopes — 
and  in  an  hour  or  so,  turning  off  the  main  path 
to  the  right,  we  come  to  a  very  interesting  locality. 
It  is  Seilun,  the  ancient  Shiloh.  Naked,  rounded 
hills,  with  ruins  here  and  there,  and  a  few  cultivated 
fields,  mark  the  place.  We  passed  the  remains  of  an 
old  church,  whose  walls  are  supported  by  buttresses, 
and  within  are  some  broken  Corinthian  columns.  A 
little  farther  down  the  hill  is  another  old  building, 
that  may  have  been  a  mosque.  In  front  of  it  is  a 
fine  oak  tree.  Here  I  read  several  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture relating  to  Shiloh.  Its  location  is  well  described 
in  the  Book  of  Judges,  as  being  "  on  the  north  side  of 
Bethel,  on  the  east  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up  from 
Bethel  to  Shechem,  and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah." 
This  is  so  accurate  in  every  particular,  that  there  can- 
not be  a  doubt  that  we  are  here  on  the  very  site  of 
Shiloh.  Here,  probably  on  the  top  of  this  little  hill,  the 
Tabernacle  of  the  Lord  was  first  permanently  set  up  in 
the  land,  being  brought  hither  from  the  camp  at  Gilgal. 
Here  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel  assembled  again 
to  receive  each  his  allotted  portion  of  the  promised  and 
now  accepted  possession.  Here  Elkanah  came  every 
year  from  Kamah  to  offer  sacrifice ;  here  Hannah 
prayed  ;  here  the  child  Samuel  was  brought  and  lent 
to  the  Lord  by  the  grateful  mother  ;  and  here  that 


296  SIIILOH — ITS    HISTORY. 

child  served  the  Lord  and  heard  his  voice.  Here  the 
aged  Eli,  who  restrained  not  his  .sons,  fell  down  dead 
on  receiving  intelligence  of  their  deatli  in  battle,  and 
the  capture  of  the  Ark  by  the  Philistines.  Eli  was 
probably  buried  in  one  of  those  rock-hewn  sepulchres 
in  the  valley  a  little  to  the  east.  The  Shiloh  maidens 
were  accustomed  to  dance  by  themselves  at  an  annual 
festival  held  in  honor  of  the  Ark.  At  the  foot  of  the 
hill  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  well,  and  it  was  probably 
there  that  the  scene  transpired.  The  remnant  of  the 
Benjamites,  who  were  forbidden  to  take  wives  of  Is- 
rael, lay  concealed  in  the  adjacent  vineyards  on  the 
hillside,  and  rushing  suddenly  among  the  dancing  vir- 
gins, seized  and  carried  off  two  hundred  of  them. 
How  lifelike  these  distant  events  appear,  when  we 
look  upon  the  localities  where  they  occurred.  We 
can  almost  see  the  disguised  wife  of  Jeroboam  steal- 
ing hither  to  consult  the  prophet  Ahijah  about  her 
sick  child.  She  received  no  comfort,  but  rather  heard 
terrible  judgments  denounced  upon  the  wicked  house 
to  which  she  belonged.  Shiloh  not  only  lost  its 
glory  in  the  capture  of  the  Ark,  but  it  would  seem, 
from  a  passage  in  Jeremiah,  that  its  ruin  was  accom- 
plished not  lo.ng  afterwards.  "  But  go  ye  now  unto 
my  place  which  was  in  Shiloh,  where  I  set  my  name 
at  the  first,  and  see  what  I  did  to  it  for  the  wicked- 
ness of  my  people  Israel." 

It  was  an  interesting  thought,  as  I  was  on  this  jour- 
ney from  Judea  to  Galilee,  that  I  was  passing  along 
the  same  path,  among  the  same  hills  and  valleys, 
where  our  blessed  Saviour  had  journeyed  with  his 
disciples.  His  eyes  had  rested  upon  some  of  the  same 


LEBONAII — ARAB   HORSES.  297 

objects  that  now  greet  mine — these  rocks,  these  hill- 
sides, these  fountains.  Probably  He  had  looked  back 
from  Mount  Scopus  upon  the  Holy  City.  He  saw 
Gibeon,  and  Mizpeh,  and  Anathoth ;  He  passed 
through  Gibeah,  Karnah  and  Beerotli ;  He  looked 
upon  Bethel  and  Shiloh.  Passing  through  these 
localities,  then  ancient  and  hallowed  by  Scripture  his- 
tory and  Divine  manifestations,  on  His  way  to  Jacob's 
Well,  what  were  the  thoughts  of  His  mind,  to  whom 
all  events  and  all  history  were  equally  transparent, 
and  what  communications  did  He  make  to  His  disci- 
ples by  the  way  ! 

After  gathering  a  few  flowers  and  other  memorials 
amidst  the  ruins  of  Shiloh,  we  crossed  several  wheat- 
fields,  and  descended  on  the  north  into  a  little  glen, 
which  we  followed  westward  till  we  joined  the  main 
road.  We  were  now  in  a  beautiful  green  plain,  about 
a  mile  in  length,  enclosed  by  dark,  lofty  hills.  A 
narrow  ravine  through  the  western  ridge  affords  an 
outlet  for  a  winter-stream  to  the  plain  of  Sharon.  On 
a  hillside  at  the  left,  is  the  village  of  Lubban,  the 
modern  representative  of  the  city  of  Lebonah,  that  in 
the  days  of  Israel's  judges  lay  between  Shiloh  and 
Shechem.  Over  the  beaten  path  on  this  level  and 
fertile  plain,  some  of  our  Arab  horses  gallop  with  a 
neetness  and  grace  for  which  they  are  justly  celebra- 
ted. We  cross  a  valley  at  the  end  of  the  plain,  hav- 
ing passed  an  old  khan  or  castle  on  our  right,  while 
now  and  then  a  village  is  seen  on  the  stony  hills 
stretching  away  on  either  hand.  A  mountain-like 
elevation  is  now  before  us,  which  we  climb  by  a  long, 
winding  path,  among  rocks  and  ridges,  gray,  bleak 

J.O 


298  A   FINE    VIEW FOOTSTEPS    OF   JESUS. 

and  desolate.  It  is  a  wearisome  ascent,  but  the  vista 
that  opens  to  the  view  on  reaching  the  summit  is  fair, 
far  and  beautiful.  We  stop  as  if  entranced,  and 
silently  admire  the  varied  loveliness  and  splendor  of 
the  landscape. 

Up  to  the  crest  of  this  ridge  our  divine  Saviour 
came,  on  the  bright  morning  of  that  day  when  He 
journeyed  with  His  disciples  and  rested  at  noon  by 
Jacob's  "Well,  which,  were  it  an  object  of  sufficient 
prominence,  might  be  seen  from  this  point.  In 
reflecting  that  His  feet  have  pressed  this  soil,  and  His 
eyes  have  looked  upon  these  hills  and  plains,  one 
wishes  that  he  might  have  been  here  to  journey  with 
the  Lord,  to  hear  His  words,  and  to  receive  His 
blessing.  And  then  the  thought  springs  up — "Well, 
the  blessed  Saviour  is  still  with  His  disciples,  gra- 
ciously, lovingly  present,  wherever  they  are.  Did  He 
not  say,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always  ?"  and  this  dear 
promise,  with  the  fact  that  He  was  once  bodily  here, 
brings  a  refreshing  and  heavenly  sweetness  to  the 
heart. 

«  0  here  with  His  flock  the  sad  Wanderer  came  ; 
These  hills  He  toiled  over  in  grief  are  the  same  : 
The  founts  where  He  drank  by  the  wayside  still  flow, 
And  the  same  airs  are  blowing  which  breathed  on  His  brow." 

What  continually  strikes  the  traveler,  and  makes 
Palestine  so  different  from  our  land  and  other  lands, 
is  the  utter  absence  of  forests,  the  scarcity  of  trees, 
and  the  denuded,  discrowned  appearance  of  the  hills 
and  mountains,  together  with  the  perpetual  stoniness, 
especially  of  the  regions  of  Judah  and  Benjamin. 
But  we  are  now  entering  a  different  country.  The 


PLAIN    OF   MOREH    OK   MUKHNA.  299 

mountain  territory  of  Ephraim  is  distinguished  for  its 
little  fertile  plains,  several  of  which  we  have  already 
passed.  We  constantly  see  evidences  about  us,  in 
the  abundance  of  vines,  figs,  olives  and  corn,  that 
Ephraim  was  blessed  with  "  the  chief  things  of  the 
ancient  mountains."  It  was  not  in  vain  the  dying 
patriarch  deliberately  rested  his  right  hand  on  the 
head  of  Joseph's  younger  son,  and  said,  "  In  thee  shall 
Israel  bless,  saying,  God  make  thee  as  Ephraim."  • 
The  view  before  us  from  this  high  ridge,  as  we  look 
down  northward  upon  the  plain  of  Moreh,  gives  us 
fresh  impressions  of  the  exuberant  richness  of  this 
central  portion  of  Palestine.  The  plain  stretches  away 
for  a  dozen  miles,  perhaps,  while  its  breadth,  in  its 
widest  parts,  does  not  exceed  two.  Neither  fence  nor 
village  is  seen  on  its  lawn-like  surface.  A  few  olive 
groves  fringe  its  borders,  bounded  on  the  east  by  a 
low,  irregular  line  of  dark  hills,  and  on  the  west  by 
much  higher  elevations,  whose  grand  summits  are  also 
more  bold  and  barren.  The  most  prominent  of  these 
is  Mount  Gerizim.  On  its  top  we  see  a  white  wely 
marking  the  place  where  once  stood  the  Samaritan 
Temple.  Mount  Ebal,  partly  hidden,  is  just  beyond  ; 
while  in  the  valley  between  the  two  is  Nablus,  the 
site  of  ancient  Shechem  or  Sychar.  We  descend  the 
hill  and  enter  upon  this  beautiful  plain,  now  called 
el-Mukhna.  Its  great  fertility  is  evident,  and  thriving 
corn-fields  seem  to  cover  its  entire  surface.  Tillages 
appear  on  both  sides,  perched  high  up  on  the  slopes 
or  summits,  built  there,  not  for  convenience,  but  for 
security.  The  natives  have  a  wild  and  fierce  appear- 
ance, and  the  men  are  all  armed  with  long  guns,  pKs- 


300  ARMED   NATIVES— SALUTATIONS. 

tols,  daggers,  and  knob-headed  clubs.  We  frequently 
meet  these  fellows  straggling  along  in  tattered  gar- 
ments, part  of  them  driving  donkeys  loaded  with 
grain  or  straw.  They  all  go  armed  while  at  work  in 
the  fields,  watching  their  flocks  among  the  hills,  or  on 
their  journeys,  lest  they  shold  meet  some  representa- 
tive of  a  hostile  tribe  or  family,  and  the  revenge  of  an 
old  blood-feud  should  be  gratified  in  the  murder  of  a 
rfew  victim. 

A  few  years  ago  it  was  unsafe  for  a  time,  on  ac- 
count of  hostile  ti^ibes,  for  travelers  to  pass  through 
this  region.  But  no  hostile  intentions  were  ever 
manifested  towards  us,  though  the  neighborhood  has 
a  bad  reputation.  We  are  accustomed  to  address 
these  fierce-looking  men,  as  well  as  others,  when  we 
meet  them,  with  the  usual  salutations  in  Arabic,  and 
they  almost  universally  return  them  with  a  pleasant 
recognition  and  a  graceful  bow,  at  the  same  time 
bringing  their  right  hand  to  their  forehead,  breast  and 
lips. 

As  we  proceed  up  the  plain,  we  journey  under  the 
shadow  of  Gerizim,  the  Mountain  of  Blessing,  which 
rises  loftily  on  our  left.  Passing  along  to  the  point 
of  a  low  spur  projecting  from  the  base  of  Gerizim  to 
the  northeast,  we  soon  reach  that  very  ancient  and 
most  interesting  spot,  Jacobs  Well.  A  pile  of  shape- 
less ruins,  including  several  fragments  of  granite 
colurnns,  lie  around  it.  A  vaulted  chamber  formerly 
covered  the  entrance,  in  the  floor  of  which  was  the 
opening  to  the  well.  Within  a  few  years  a  portion  of 
the  vault  has  fallen  in,  and  completely  covered  up  the 
mouth,  so  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  looking  down  into 


JACOB'S  WELL — ITS  HISTORY.  301 

the  depths  of  the  well.  We  could  drop  into  it,  how- 
ever, a  small  pebble,  through  the  crevices  of  the  loose 
stones.  The  Samaritan  woman  said  to  our  Saviour, 
"The  well  is  deep."  Travelers  have  described  it  as 
being  seventy-five  feet  deep,  excavated  in  the  solid 
rock,  nine  feet  in  diameter,  perfectly  round,  and  the 
sides  being  smoothly  hewn.  The  few  old  columns 
and  building-stones  lying  about  are  probably  the  ruins 
of  a  church  that  is  said  to  have  been  built  over  this 
well  by  Helena,  to  commemorate  a  spot  so  hallowed  by 
the  presence  of  Jesus.  Jerome,  in  the  fourth  century, 
speaks  of  a  church  being  here.  There  is  no  doubt 
about  the  authenticity  of  the  site.  It  must  be,  from 
its  position,  and  the  objects  mentioned  about  it,  the 
identical  well  where  our  Divine  Lord,  weary  with  his 
journey  up  the  plain,  sat  down  at  midday  to  rest — 
just  as  travelers  still  stop  here  in  the  noon  or  evening 
of  the  spring- day — just  as  we  stopped  and  sat  down 
on  that  well  a  little  past  noon  on  the  28th  of  March. 
How  intensely  interesting  a  place  !  How  vivid  the 
review  of  its  sacred  historic  scenes  !  A  little  to  the 
west  of  it  are  the  twin  mountains  Gerizim  and  Ebal. 
Between  them,  in  a  narrow  picturesque  valley,  is  the 
site  of  Shechem.  A  little  north  of  the  well  is  Joseph's 
Tomb,  a  small  white  building,  partly  embowered  in 
trees.  The  adjacent  plain  stretches  away  in  beauti- 
ful verdure,  covered  with  the  young  and  growing 
wheat. 

To  this  place,  divinely  called  and  directed,  Abra- 
ham came  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  and  from  Haran, 
and  entering  this  rich  plain  from  the  north,  pitched 
here  his  tent  for  the  first  time  in  the  Land  of  Canaan. 


302         JACOB'S  WELL  AND  PAKCEL  OF  A  FIELD. 

lie  came  to  the  place  of  Sichem  unto  the  plain  of 
Moreh."  Here  he  "  builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord, 
who  appeared  unto  him,"  and  promised  to  give  this 
land  to  him  and  his  posterity.  The  first  altar  in  the 
Holy  Land  must  have  been  within  a  few  rods  of  the 
place  where  we  are  sitting  at  the  well.  Abraham 
journeyed  south  to  Bethel  and  Hebron,  but  his  grand- 
son Jacob,  many  years  afterwards,  on  his  return  from 
Padan-aram,  having  crossed  the  Jordan  with  his  two 
bands,  "  came  to  Shalem,  a  city  of  Shechem,  and 
pitched  his  tent  before" — that  is,  east  of — "  the  city  ;" 
and  so  it  must  have  been  near  this  spot.  "  And  he 
bought  a  parcel  of  a  field,  where  he  had  spread  his 
tent,  at  the  hand  of  the  children  of  Hamor,  Shechem's 
father."  On  that  "  parcel "  he  made  his  well,  and 
the  bones  of  his  son  Joseph  were  brought  up  from 
Egypt  and  buried  here,  perhaps  at  the  spot  now  indi- 
cated by  the  little  wall-inclosed  building  known  as  his 
tornb.  Jacob  removed  to  Hebron,  but  still  retained 
possession  of  his  field  here  ;  and  it  was  to  this  spot 
he  sent  Joseph  to  look  after  his  brethren,  when  u  a 
certain  man  found  him  wandering  in  the  field,"  and 
directed  him  to  Dothan,  whither  they  had  gone. 

Interesting  as  this  spot  is,  in  its  connection  with  the 
patriarchs,  it  had  to  me  a  deeper  and  holier  charm  in 
its  association  writh  our  blessed  Lord,  who  held  here  a 
memorable  conversation  with  the  woman  of  Samaria. 
As  we  sat  on  the  well,  I  read  aloud  that  inimitable 
narrative  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel,  and 
read  it  with  new  interest,  looking  upon  objects  it 
mentions.  The  Divine  Man  "  must  needs  go  "  past 
this  spot,  when  "  He  left  Judea  and  departed  into  Gal- 


CHRIST    AND    THE    SAMARITAN    WOMAN.  303 

ilee."  Wearied  with  the  journey,  and  oppressed  by 
the  heat,  He  sat  down  at  noon  by  this  well.  Up  that 
passage  in  the  valley,  between  Gerizim  and  Ebal,  His 
disciples  went  away  into  the  city  to  buy  food.  Down 
the  same  passage  or  gorge  came  the  woman  to  draw 
water,  according  to  the  unvarying  custom  of  the  East, 
which  still,  in  the  lively  concourse  of  veiled  figures 
round  the  wayside  wells,  reproduces  the  image  of 
Rebekah  and  Rachel.  She  came  to  this  well,  instead 
of  procuring  water  in  or  near  the  city,  because  it 
might  have  been  of  better  quality  here,  or  very  likely 
she  attached  some  special  sacredness  to  the  water  of 
JacoVs  Well.  "  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Give  me  to 
drink ;"  and  considering  the  universal  hospitality  and 
courtesy  of  the  Orientals,  her  refusal  and  reply  were 
indicative  of  the  bigotry  and  enmity  of  the  Samaritans 
against  the  Jews.  Then  followed  the  wondrous  dia- 
logue which  so  interested  and  astonished  the  woman,  as 
Jesus  directed  her  attention  from  the  well  to  the  Water 
of  Life.  "  Our  fathers  worshiped  in  this  mountain" 
said  she,  pointing,  no  doubt,  to  the  Samaritan  sanctu- 
ary full  in  view  on  the  summit  of  Gerizim.  Our 
Lord  then  unfolded  the  freedom  and  fullness  of  the 
Gospel,  dispelling  the  idea  of  special  virtue  or  sanctity 
in  particular  localities,  and  announcing  the  essential 
spirituality  of  true  worship.  His  divine  words  led  her 
to  think  and  speak  of  the  Messiah,  and  then  came  the 
glorious  announcement,  "  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am 
He."  Her  heart,  had  been  touched,  and  her  faith  re- 
ceived this  blessed  revelation.  She  forgot  her  errand 
— for  she  left  her  water-pot — in  the  joy  of  finding  her 


304 

Saviour,  and  hastened  up  the  vale  to  the  city  to  pub- 
lish the  glad  tidings. 

The  disciples  had  returned,  and  were  conversing 
with  the  Lord,  while  the  beautiful  plain  was  spread  out 
before  them,  verdant  with  the  young  wheat,  suggesting 
the  beautiful  figure  :  "Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four 
months,  and  then  cometli  harvest  ?  Behold,  I  say  unto 
you,  lift  up  your  heads  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they 
are  white  already  to  harvest" — pointing,  perhaps,  in 
the  other  direction  up  the  valley,  where  the  people  of 
Sychar,  whom  the  woman  had  called,  were  now  flock- 
ing down  towards  Him.  It  was  a  harvest  of  souls 
that  was  ready,  and  the  reapers  not  only  received 
wages,  but  gathered  fruit  unto  life  eternal.  O  blessed 
story  of  Jacob's  Well !  Though  the  daughters  of  Sam- 
aria come  no  more  to  draw  from  its  depths,  yet  the 
Living  Water  still  flows.  The  footprints  of  patriarchs 
are  here,  and  those  of  Him  who  is  greater  than  Jacob, 
and  the  echo  of  His  heavenly  voice  lingers  here,  in 
the  gracious  words  that  fell  from  His  lips. 


XXVI. 


THE  Tomb  of  Joseph  is  a  short  distance  north  of  Ja- 
cob's Well.  The  interior  of  the  little  building  is  cov- 
ered with  pilgrims'  names  in  various  languages,  the 
Hebrew  being  quite  prominent.  Jews  and  Samari- 
tans, Christians  and  Moslems,  all  concur  in  the  belief 
that  this  is  the  veritable  spot  where  the  patriarch  was 
buried.  This  is  a  portion  of  that  "  parcel  of  ground 
which  Jacob  bought  of  Hamor  and  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph."  If  this  ground  were  excavated,  perhaps  the 
sarcophagus  might  be  found  in  which  his  embalmed 
remains  were  placed,  as  they  were  brought  out  of 
Egypt  to  their  burial  here,  according  to  the  Divine 
record.  The  tomb  has  an  agreeable  situation,  and 
stands  a  little  nearer  the  base  of  Ebal  than  of  Gerizim. 
Turning  westward,  we  are  soon  in  the  valley  of  Kab- 
lus,  and  the  city  itself  is  before  us,  most  picturesque- 
ly nestled  between  the  two  mountains.  Its  white 
domes  and  slender  minarets  are  gleaming  in  the  sun- 
light, while  gardens  and  groves  surround  it.  No  city 
in  Palestine  has  a  situation  and  surroundings  more 
romantic  and  delightful.  Corn  fields  and  orchards, 
abounding  in  fruit-trees  of  various  kinds,  enliven  and 
diversify  the  view.  Fountains  and  streams  murmur 
at  our  feet,  and  most  musical  bird-songs  greet  us  from 
(305) 


306  VALE    OF   NABLTJ3 — EEADIXG   THE   LAW. 

the  tree-tops.  The  greater  part  of  the  town  lies  on  the 
south  side  of  the  valley,  clinging  to  the  base  of  Geriz- 
im.  The  fine  fertile  vale  opens  like  a  gateway  from 
the  plain  of  Moreli,  and  the  two  mountains  rising 
steeply  from  its  smooth  bed,  shut  it  in  with  their  dark 
rocky  sides  on  the  north  and  south.  Nablus  occupies 
the  highest  part  of  the  vale,  and  is  the  site  of  ancient 
Shechem,  one  of  the  oldest  cities  of  the  world.  As 
we  approached  the  town  between  these  two  bold 
mountains,  I  thought  of  that  vast  assembly  and  most 
impressive  scene,  when  the  whole  congregation  of 
Israel  was  gathered  here  to  listen  to  the  reading  of 
the  Law  by  Joshua.  The  valley  is  narrowest — the 
mountains  come  nearest  to  each  other — towards  the 
eastern  end.  There,  no  doubt,  the  immense  concourse 
was  gathered.  "  All  Israel,  and  their  elders,  and  offi- 
cers, and  their  judges,  stood  on  this  side  the  ark,  and 
on  that  side,  before  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  which 
bear  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord — half  of  them 
over  against  Mount  Gerizim,  and  half  of  them  over 
against  Mount  Ebal."  What  an  immense  procession 
was  that  of  the  tribes,  with  the  women  and  children 
and  strangers,  that  came  up  here  according  to  the 
command  of  Moses.  They  doubtless  swept  up  the 
plain,  and  gathered  around  the  Ark  here  in  this  nar- 
row pass.  On  Gerizim  the  blessings  and  on  Ebal  the 
cursings  were  pronounced  in  the  presence  of  this  vast 
assembly,  and  their  thunders  of  response  were  like 
the  sound  of  many  waters.  The  scene  must  have  been 
incomparably  august  and  impressive.  And  now  I 
was  passing  along  the  very  spot  where  that  immense 
multitude  stood  thirty-three  centuries  ago,  and  the 


NABLUS — HISTORY    OF    SIIECHEM.  307 

echoes  of  the  blessings  and  cursings,  with  the  mighty 
AMEN  from  the  answering  throng,  seem  to  linger  amid 
the  cliffs  of  those  sublime  mountains,  still  bearing 
their  ancient  names,  and  still  silently,  boldly  witness- 
ing to  the  truth  of  the  inspired  record. 

We  enter  the  city  of  Nablus,  and  ride  through  its 
long  street,  partly  flooded,  nearly  its  whole  length, 
with  a  fine  stream  of  water.  The  houses  and  shops, 
full  of  staring  people,  are  thickly  ranged  on  either  side, 
and  sometimes  built  on  arches  spanning  the  narrow 
path.  Our  camping-ground  is  an  olive  grove,  just 
outside  of  the  city,  on  one  of  the  lower  slopes  of  Ge- 
rizim.  The  city  is  larger  than  I  supposed,  and  con- 
tains a  population  of  about  eight  thousand,  including 
some  five  hundred  Christians,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Samaritans,  and  a  still  smaller  number  of  Jews. 

During  the  rule  of  the  Judges,  Abimelech  seized 
Shechem,  and  was  proclaimed  king  by  "  the  oak  of 
the  pillar."  This  was  the  occasion  of  Jotham's  as- 
cending Mount  Gerizim,  and  lifting  up  his  voice,  ad- 
dressed the  Shechemites  in  that  beautiful  and  cutting 

o 

parable  of  the  trees  going  forth  to  anoint  a  king  over 
them  ;  and  as  one  after  another  refused,  they  called 
the  'bramble  to  reign  over  them.  Here  Rehoboam, 
son  of  Solomon,  was  declared  king  over  all  Israel. 
But  soon  after,  in  consequence  of  his  folly,  the  ten 
tribes  revolted,  making  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat 
king,  and  establishing  the  seat  of  the  new  monarchy 
in  Shechem,  which  subsequently  yielded  the  honor  to 
Samaria.  It  became,  however,  the  metropolis  of  the 
Samaritans  as  a  sect,  and  remains  so  still,  The  Em- 
peror Vespasian  rebuilt  Shechem,  and  called  it  Neap- 


308  OLIVE   TKEES OIL ASCENT    OF   GEEIZIM. 

olis,  from  which  the  present  Arabic  Nabliis  is  derived. 
Justin  Martyr,  whose  interesting  account  of  the  early 
Christians  has  been  preserved,  was  a  native  of  this 
place,  where  he  was  born  in  the  latter   part   of  the 
first  century.      JSTablus  appears  to  be  a  thriving   city  ; 
its  business  is  considerable,  and  its  chief  productions 
are  soap,  cotton  and  oil.     The  last  is  celebrated  for  its 
excellence.      The  olive   groves,   so  abundant  in  the 
Holy  Land,  are  very  numerous  here.      Every  village 
and  hamlet  is  embowered  in  these  pleasant  and  ever- 
green trees.     The  olive  matures  slowly,  lives  long,  and 
is  the  most  productive  of  all  trees  or  crops.      It  con- 
stitutes a  great  part  of  the  wealth  and  comfort  of  the 
people.     The  berries  are  pickled  and  eaten  as  a  relish. 
All  dishes  are  cooked  in  oil.     It  supplies  the  lamps  in 
every  dwelling.     All  the  soap  in  the  country  is  made 
from  it.      Isaiah  speaks  of  "  the  shaking  of  an  olive 
tree."     The  berries  ripen  in  November,  are   shaken 
from  the  trees  by  men,  and  picked  up  by  women  and 
children,  who  carry  th  em  away  on  their  heads.     They 
are  placed  in  the  circular  cavity  of  a  rock,  and  a  large 
stone  rolled  over  them.     The  crushed  mass  is  gathered 
into  mats,  and  put  into  the  rude   press.      The   liquor 
flows  off,  is  heated  slightly,  and  the  oil  is  skimmed 
from  the  top,  and  poured  into  skins  or  earthern  jars. 

I  was  not  willing  to  forego  a  visit  to  the  site  of  the 
Samaritan  Temple,  and  the  gratification  of  a  view 
from  the  summit  of  Gerizim.  About  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  a  few  of  us  began  the  ascent.  It  was 
a  long  and  fatiguing,  as  well  as  agreeable  walk. 
The  steep  path  follows  a  beautiful  glen  south  of  the 
town,  and  is  for  some  distance  bordered  by  dwellings 


THE    SAMARITAN    TEMPLE.  309 

embowered  in  a  variety  of  foliage,  palm-trees,  and 
bold  cliffs.  Birds  sing  in  the  boughs,  and  streams 
murmur  at  our  feet.  AVe  pass  women  and  children, 
having  an  unusually  cheerful  and  agreeable  appear- 
ance. Soon  we  get  above  trees  and  fountains,  and 
find  a  long  and  very  steep  ascent  to  climb.  At  the 
top  a  broad  and  broken  plateau  stretches  out  before 
us.  Loose  stones  are  abundant,  but  the  soil  is  here 
and  there  cultivated  in  little  patches.  We  proceed 
along  eastward  about  half  a  mile  over  this  dreary  sur- 
face to  the  base  of  a  rocky  knoll,  which  is  the  summit 
of  the  mountain.  Here  is  a  little  spot  of  level  ground 
•where  the  Samaritans  encamp  at  their  Feast  of  the 
Passover.  Near  by  is  a  circular  pit,  in  which  the 
Paschal  lambs  are  roasted.  "We  reach  the  summit  by 
an  ascent  of  about  two  hundred  yards,  and  find  there 
the  remains  of  an  immense  structure  of  huge  stones, 
old  and  massive  walls,  towers,  and  various  apart- 
ments. The  main  edifice  appears  to  have  been  nearly 
square,  each  side  measuring  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  At  the  northern  side  is  a  conspicuous 
Moslem  wely.  These  ruins  indicate  the  site  of  the 
Samaritan  Temple,  though  a  more  modern  edifice, 
perhaps  a  Roman  fortress,  may  have  been  built  over 
its  foundation-stones.  To  the  Samaritans  this  is  a  sa- 
cred place,  and  they  locate  around  it  several  events 
in  Jewish  history,  which  elsewhere  transpired.  For 
instance,  under  the  western  wall  there  are  a  number 
of  flat  stones,  and  we  are  told  by  some  that  under 
these  are  placed  the  "  twelve  stones"  brought  out  of 
the  bed  of  the  Jordan,  while  others  affirm  that  these 
are  the  veritable  stones  themselves.  A  smooth  sur- 


310  A   SHRINE— VIEW   FROM   THE   SUMMIT. 

face  of  natural  rock  lies  a  little  south  of  these  ruins, 
its  western  edge  terminating  in  an  irregular  excava- 
tion or  rocky  pit,  in  which  1  observed  water.  Here  is 
the  Samaritan  shrine,  or  "  Holy  of  holies,"  towards 
which  they  turn  in  prayer,  and  on  approaching  which 
they  take  off  their  shoes.  They  have  a  tradition  that 
on  this  rock  Abraham  sacrificed  the  ram,  instead  of 
his  son.  Our  guide  tried  hard  to  make  us  understand 
just  where  Isaac  was  laid  on  the  altar,  and  where  the 
ram  was  caught  in  the  thicket.  Here,  they  say,  Jacob 
had  his  heavenly  vision,  and  named  the  place  Bethel ; 
and  that  here  the  Ark  was  placed,  and  the  Tabernacle 
set  up.  It  was  important  for  the  Samaritans,  being 
imitators  and  rivals  as  well  as  haters  of  the  Jews,  to 
locate  these  events  in  their  own  territory  ;  and  what 
place  so  befitting  as  Mount  Gerizim  ? 

This  rocky  knoll  rises  like  a  crest  from  the  broad 
summit  of  the  mountain,  and  almost  overhangs  the 
beautiful  plain  on  the  east.  The  view  here  is  diversi- 
fied, charming,  glorious.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
vision  presented,  as  I  stood  amidst  those  old  ruins  in 
the  mellow  rays  of  the  declining  sun  on  a  vernal  day. 
The  rich  and  velvety  plain  of  Moreh,  or  Mukhna,  is 
at  my  feet.  A  green  arm  of  it  breaks  into  the  dark 
hills  on  the  east,  directly  across  from  the  vale  of  Nab- 
lus.  A  village  north  of  that  arm,  in  a  cluster  of  olive 
trees  on  an  acclivity,  is  called  Saliin,  and  it  may 
occupy  the  site  of  that  ancient  "  Shalem,  a  city  of 
Shechem,"  near  which  Jacob  pitched  his  tent  when 
he  returned  from  Padan-aram.  Yonder,  at  the  north- 
east, the  patriarch  crossed  the  Jordan  with  his  two 
bands,  coming  through  the  deep  cleft  in  the  dark 


A    FINE   PANORAMA — JOSEPH.  311 

mountain-wall  beyond,  made  by  the  Jabbok  in  its 
flow  toward  the  Jordan.  Through  the  same  vale,  no 
doubt.  Abram  came  from  the  land  of  the  Chaldees, 
and  pitched  his  tent  near  the  place  of  Jacob's  Well, 
ivhich  1  see  beneath  me.  The  eastern  view  is  bounded 
by  the  long,  somber  mountain-chain  of  Gilead  and 
Moab.  On  the  north,  the  eye  traces  rugged  ridges 
and  rounded  peaks  succeeding  each  other  till  the  far 
climax  is  reached  in  the  shadowy  form  and  snowy 
crown  of  Hermon.  On  the  west,  through  breaks  and 
gorges  among  the  hills,  I  get  glimpses  of  the  plain  of 
Sharon,  and  of  the  glassy,  cloud-like  surface  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  stretching  away  beyond.  All 
around  me  are  the  mountains  of  Ephraim — the  strong- 
hold and  rich  possession  of  the  house  of  Joseph.  The 
fertile  plains  and  winding  vales  below  are  verdant 
with  the  growing  corn,  and  are  clothed  with  the  fat- 
ness of  the  olive  and  the  vine.  "  Joseph  is  a  fruitful 
bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  whose 
branches  run  over  the  wall."  There  are  many  exam- 
ples of  the  practical  foresight  and  sagacity  of  Jacob, 
and  these  traits  are  strikingly  illustrated  in  his  securing 
this  rich  possession  in  the  heart  of  Canaan,  and 
reserving  it  for  his  favorite  son.  "  The  blessings  of 
thy  father  have  prevailed  above  the  blessings  of  thy 
progenitors,  unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills  ;  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the 
crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separate  from  his 
brethren." 

The  next  morning  was  bright  and  clear,  and  the 
sun  rose  in  golden  beauty  upon  our  tents,  while  we 
were  greeted  with  bird-songs  of  peculiar  sweetness. 


312  SAMARITAN    SYNAGOGUE — PENTATEUCH. 

After  breakfast  we  were  conducted,  through  the  most 
filthy  of  lanes  and  tunnel-like  alleys,  to  the  Samaritan 
synagogue  in  the  south  part  of  Nablus.  It  is  a  small 
old  building,  and  we  were  required  to  remove  our 
boots  and  shoes,  and  enter  it  in  our  stocking-feet. 
There  we  were  shown  a  famous  copy  of  the  Penta- 
teuch. The  parchment  was  unrolled  from  its  tin  case, 
and  we  inspected  the  venerable  manuscript,  said  to 
have  been  written  by  Abishua,  the  son  of  Phinehas, 
the  son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron,  and  so  must  be 
about  three  thousand  three  hundred  years  old.  It  is  a 
huge  roll,  dingy  and  patched,  and  sufficiently  curious 
to  attract  attention. 

The  Samaritans  still  observe  their  ancient  rites,  and 
in  solemn  processions  go  three  times  a  year  to  the  top 
of  Gerizim,  reading  the  Law  as  they  ascend.  These 
occasions  are  the  Feast  of  the  Passover,  the  Day  of 
Pentecost,  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  On  Friday 
evening  they  pray  in  their  houses,  and  on  Saturday— 
their  Sabbath — in  their  synagogue,  accompanying  the 
public  services  with  various  prostrations,  and  loud 
and  hurried  recitations.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  their 
number — hardly  a  hundred  and  fifty,  all  told — has 
remained  about  the  same  for  several  centuries.  They 
still  hate  the  Jews  as  cordially  as  they  did  when  the 
woman  declared  to  our  Lord  that  the  two  nations  had 
no  dealings  with  each  other.  This  rule  is  sometimes 
departed  from  when  they  can  strike  a  good  bargain  in 
business  or  trade. 

"We  left  our  camping-ground  amid  the  songs  of 
birds  in  the  olive  groves,  in  strange  contrast  with  the 
moaning  importunity  of  begging  lepers,  reaching 


LKPARS—  SCENES    BY   THE   WAY.  313 

forth  their  stumps  of  hands,  and  upturning  their  ter- 
ribly disfigured  faces.  Perhaps  they  are  the  descend- 
ants of  Gehazi,  the  dishonest  servant  of  Elisha,  on 
whom  the  curse  of  this  fearful  disease  was  pronounced 
forever.  The  road  from  Nablus  to  Samaria  is,  like  all 
the  other  roads  in  the  Holy  Land,  a  foot  or  bridle- 
path, winding  among  hills  and  valleys.  There  are  no 
fences  to  protect  the  fields,  which  are  cultivated  close 
to  the  path,  so  that  some  of  the  seed  scattered  by  the 
sower  would  naturally  fall  "  by  the  wayside."  The 
"  stony  places"  are  abundant,  and  the  plant  that  has  "  no 
deepness  of  earth"  is  soon  "  scorched"  by  the  hot 
Syrian  sun.  As  we  descend  from  the  city,  leaving 
Gerizim  and  Ebal  behind,  but  still  follow  the  valley 
that  divides  them,  we  find,  for  some  distance,  an 
exceedingly  rich,  well-cultivated  and  picturesque 
region,  abounding  in  orchards  of  olive,  fig,  apricot, 
apple,  and  pomegranate,  intermingled  with  gardens 
and  vineyards,  and  murmuring  waters,  rushing  on  in 
their  natural  or  artificial  channels,  now  turning  a 
mill-wheel,  and  then  forming  a  cascade  amidst  old 
.Roman  ruins.  Flowers  of  different  forms  and  hues 
border  and  fringe  our  path.  Fields  of  wheat  and 
barley,  and  one  of  oats — the  only  one  I  recollect  to  have 
seen — are  observed  as  we  proceed.  Long  lines  of 
donkeys,  and  camels  tied  one  behind  the  other,  and 
heavily  laden  with  sacks  of  wheat  and  flour,  pass  us 
with  their  Arab  attendants.  We  find  shepherds  with 
their  flocks  at  some  fountain  near  the  wayside,  or  go- 
ing "  before  them"  among  the  hills,  and  calling  their 
own  sheep  by  name.  In  rough  places,  I  have  seen 
the  shepherd  with  a  lamb  under  his  arm,  and  another 

14: 


314:  SHEPHERDS BEDAWI2T. 

in  his  bosom,  its  little  head  protruding  from  the 
opening  in  the  loose  garment  above  the  girdle — recall- 
ing at  once  the  beautiful  prophecy  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd :  "  He  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and 
carry  them  in  his  bosom."  It  is  easy  to  see  how 
quickly  the  eye  of  the  "  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep 
from  the  goats,"  as  the  former  are  white  and  the  lat- 
ter black.  Savage-looking  Bedawin,  crossing  our 
path,  or  ranging  the  fields,  are  frequently  seen, 
wretchedly  clad,  and  armed  with  long  clubs  having 
knotty  heads,  and  often  with  old  rusty  guns  on  their 
shoulders,  and  daggers  in  their  girdles.  The  valley 
grows  broader  as  we  proceed,  and  turning  to  the  right, 
we  climb  among  the  hills,  while  a  considerable  plain 
lies  off  to  our  left.  Tillage  after  village  meets  the 
eye  on  the  round  tops  of  the  hills,  or  clinging  to  their 
slopes  amid  the  rocks. 


XXVII. 

;—  gfltjjiw—  lasses  0f  lkwsse|jt 


HAVING  arrived  at  the  top  of  a  ridge  commanding 
a  wide  view,  our  eyes  fasten  with  deep  interest  on  the 
"  hill  Samaria,"  which  King  Omri  bought  of  Shemer, 
and  where  he  erected  his  palace,  before  Homer  began 
to  sing  his  wonderful  songs  in  the  villages  of  Greece. 
This  bell-shaped  hill  rises  about  six  hundred  feet 
above  the  broad  green  valleys  that  separate  it  from 
the  encircling  mountains  beyond.  It  has  a  fine  plateau 
on  the  summit,  hardly  reached  by  the  modern  village 
clinging  to  the  eastern  slope.  The  situation  is  splen- 
did, and  the  landscape  enchanting.  No  wonder  it 
attracted  the  eye  of  King  Omri,  as  the  seat  of  his 
capital  and  palace.  It  is  a  beautiful  gem  among  the 
hills  of  Ephraim,  set  in  as  rich  a  framework  as  the 
country  aifords. 

Descending  the  long  slope  into  the  valley  among 
olive  trees,  we  then  climb  the  hill  Samaria  by  a  short, 
steep  acclivity  amidst  rubbish  and  ruins.  In  the 
walls  of  the  village  houses  and  in  the  walls  of  the 
terraces  on  the  hillside  are  seen  various  relics  of  an- 
cient structures  that  must  have  been  ample  and  gor- 
geous. Near  the  summit  on  the  east  is  the  ruined 
Church  of  Saint  John,  now  used  for  a  mosque.  It  is 
a  conspicuous  object,  and  once  must  have  been  a 


316  SAMAKIA CHUECII — COLONNADE. 

splendid  edifice.  Its  roof  is  gone,  but  its  walls  of 
liewn-stone  and  Gothic  window-spaces  remain.  It 
was  built  in  honor  of  John  the  Baptist,  as  there  is  an 
old  tradition  that  here  he  was  buried,  a  deep  excava- 
tion in  the  rock  under  the  church  being  still  shown  aa 
his  tomb.  Subsequently  this  spot  was  also  regarded 
as  the  place  of  his  imprisonment  and  execution. 
Passing  along  the  southern  brow  of  the  hill  shaded 
with  olive  groves,  we  observe  by  the  way  a  large 
number  of  round  stone  columns  standing  erect  in  the 
soil — I  should  think  there  must  be  a  hundred  of 
them — while  others  lie  prostrate  amid  masses  of  ruins. 
I  noticed  also  in  a  terrace-wall  a  single  Corinthian 
capital,  a  relic  of  those  that  once  crowned  these, 
columns.  They  must  have  formed  a  part  of  some 
magnificent  temple,  or  grand  colonnade.  They  are 
about  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  and  rise  above 
the  ground  perhaps  a  dozen  feet,  and  extend  for  quite 
a  distance  around  to  the  western  brow  of  the  hill. 
Perhaps  they  were  the  ornaments  of  a  magnificent 
street,  and  indicate  the  splendor  of  the  city  in  which 
they  stood.  But  they  are  now  the  grim  skeletons  of  a 
glory  departed,  and  the  hill  that  once  glittered  with 
palaces  and  temples  is  almost  as  bare  as  it  was  when 
Israel's  king  bought  it.  Looking  from  amidst  "  these 
solitary  columns  shooting  up  from  clustering  vines 
and  green  corn,  on  the  piles  of  hewn  stones  in  the  lit- 
tle terraced  fields,  and  on  the  great  heaps  among  the 
olive  trees  below,  we  cannot  but  recall  the  striking, 
the  fearful  prediction  of  Micah,"  that  has  been  so  re- 
markably verified  :  "  I  will  make  Samaria  as  an  heap 
of  the  field  ;  and  I  will  pour  down  the  stones  thereof 


PRESENT    INHABITANTS — HISTOKY.  317 

into  the  valley,  and  I  will  discover  the  foundation 
thereof." 

The  present  inhabitants,  about  four  hundred  in  all, 
have  a  bad.  name,  and  are  sometimes  insolent  and 
troublesome  to  travelers.  A  number  of  them,  includ- 
ing a  group  of  children,  followed  us  around  the  hill, 
but  did  little  more  than  to  wail  up  in  one  instance  our 
path.  As  we  descended  the  northern  slope  we  obser- 
ved in  a  nook  or  depression  of  a  green  open  field,  a 
striking  group  of  standing  columns  similar  to  those 
already  described.  They  are  probably  the  remains  of 
some  structure  built  by  Herod  the  Great,  who  erected 
magnificent  edifices  in  Samaria,  and  gave  it  the  name 
of  Sebaste,  in  honor  of  Augustus,  it  being  the  name 
of  the  Emperor  rendered  into  Greek.  The  Arabs 
call  it  Sebustieh. 

Samaria  had  an  eventful  and  chequered  history.  It 
was  the  capital  of  Israel  about  forty  years,  and  was 
often  the  seat  of  idolatry  and  crime.  Ahab,  adopting 
the  religion  of  his  Sidonian  wife,  built  here  a  temple 
for  Baal,  which  was  destroyed  with  a  great  slaughter 
of  idolators  by  the  impetuous  Jehu.  From  those 
mountains  of  Gilead  at  the  east  came  the  bold  and 
wonderful  prophet  Elijah  to  rebuke  the  wicked  king, 
and  herald  the  long  drouth.  Probably  in  the  vale  at 
the  northern  foot  of  the  hill  were  encamped  the  great 
besieging  army  of  Benhadad  from  Damascus,  so  sig- 
nally defeated  by  a  handful  of  Israelites.  Ahab  was 
fatally  pierced  by  an  arrow  from  "  the  bow  drawn  at 
a  venture,"  in  the  battle  which  he  and  Jehoshaphat 
fought  against  the  Syrians  for  the  recovery  of  Ramoth- 
Gilead.  His  blood-stained  chariot  returned  from  the 


318  SAMAKIA — MANASSEH. 

valley  of  the  Jordan  with  his  dead  body  to  Samaria, 
Here  he  was  buried  ;  "  and  one  washed  the  chariot  in 
the  pool  of  Samaria" — perhaps  the  same  reservoir  that 
still  exists  near  the  old  church.  Here  Elisha  had  his 
home  for  a  time,  and  several  striking  events  in  his 
history  occurred.  Up  the  northern  slope  of  this  hill 
lie  must  have  led  the  Syrian  army  struck  blind  at 
Dothan.  Here  came,  through  the  influence  of  a  cap- 
tive Hebrew  maid,  the  Syrian  captain  Naaman  to  be 
cured  of  his  leprosy,  and  applying  to  Elisha  probably 
at  Gilgal,  was  directed  to  wash  in  the  Jordan.  Here 
was  the  scene  of  the  interesting  story  of  the  four 
leprous  men  sitting  at  the  entering  in  of  the  gate, 
during  a  Syrian  seige  when  the  famine  was  so  severe 
that  women  killed  and  eat  their  infant  sons.  Here 
came  Philip,  after  the  death  of  Stephen,  and  preached 
the  Gospel  with  wonderful  success,  where  the  sorcerer 
Simon  had  long  thrived  by  his  impostures.  Under 
the  monarchs  of  the  northern  kingdom,  and  under 
Herod  the  Great,  the  city  was  distinguished  for  its 
glaring  idolatries  and  monstrous  crimes,  as  well  as  for 
its  beauty  and  grandeur.  Its  present  condition  re- 
peats the  prophecy  :  "  Samaria  shall  become  desolate, 
for  she  hath  rebelled  against  her  God." 

In  leaving  Samaria  we  found  the  northern  slope  of 
the  hill  and  the  valley  below  entirely  devoid  of  trees 
and  presenting  a  "dreary  appearance.  We  are  passing 
now  from  the  territory  of  Ephraim  to  that  of  Manas- 
seh.  From  the  valley  we  wind  up  a  rocky  acclivity, 
and  pass  over  terraced  hills  and  among  orange  groves 
and  little  villages  here  and  there  on  the  slopes  or  sum- 
mits. Now,  as  we  rise  to  a  mountain-like  ridge,  a 


JEBA — PLAIN   OF    SANUK.  319 

glorious  panorama  is  spread  out  before  us.  A  little 
green  plain,  rich  and  fertile,  seems  a  beautiful  picture 
in  a  rough  rock-frame,  while  vine-clad  hills  and  ver- 
dant valleys  relieve  and  diversify  the  scene.  One  of 
the  largest  villages  we  pass  is  Jeba,  a  flourishing 
place,  quite  picturesquely  situated  on  a  slope  looking 
down  into  a  green  vale,  and  surrounded  by  the  thriv- 
ing olive  and  fig  and  fragrant  thyme.  Here  is  an  in- 
tersecting road  direct  from  JS"ablus.  Emerging  from 
our  course  through  a  narrow  valley  half  an  hour 
beyond,  we  come  to  the  circular  plain  of  Sanur.  It  is 
three  or  four  miles  in  diameter,  has  a  low,  marshy, 
lake-like  appearance,  a  portion  of  it  being  covered 
with  water.  Having  no  outlet  through  the  surround- 
ing hills  a  large  body  of  water  collects  here  in  winter, 
but  it  dries  up  in  summer,  and  the  plain  is  then 
cultivated.  The  natives  call  it  the  "  Drowning  Mead- 
ow." At  the  southwest  corner  of  this  plain  is  the 
village  of  Sanur,  enclosed  by  a  fortress,  and  inhabited 
by  a  rude,  turbulent,  and  quarrelsome  people,  whose 
acquaintance  some  travelers  have  found  to  be  deci- 
dedly disagreeable.  About  a  mile  beyond  this  plain 
we  obtain  a  line  and  splendid  view  from  the  crest  of  a 
rocky  ridge.  Before  and  below  us  is  the  village  of 
Kubatieh,  nestled  among  flourishing  groves  of  olive, 
while  to  the  west  of  it  there  is  a  beautiful  net- work  of 
plains  and  vales.  Northward  we  can  look  through 
these  passes  of  Manasseh  into  the  great  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  whose  broad  green  surface  stretches  away 
to  the  hills  of  Nazareth. 

We   are   now   about   six   miles  from  Samaria  and 
twelve  from  Shechem.     Here,  under  the  shade  of  an 


320  DOTH  AN PITS    OK   DRY    CISTERNS. 

old  olive,  we  spread  our  carpet  and  sit  down  for 
lunch.  And  here  let  us  read  and  think  of  the  interest- 
ing and  thrilling  events  that  have  transpired  in  that 
beautiful  and  fertile  spot  a  little  west  of  us.  There  is 
a  charming  green  plain  with  adjacent  rounded  hills— 
•B  most  delightful  place,  admirably  adapted  for  pasture- 
grounds  and  the  feeding  of  flocks.  That  verdant  hill 
near  the  southern  side  o  the  plain  still  bears  the 
familiar  name  of  Dothan — or  Tell  Dothain — 'doubtless 
the  same  spot  that  bore  that  name  three  thousand  six 
hundred  years  ago.  Jacob  was  then  living  in  Hebron, 
and  from  thence  came  his  favorite  son  Joseph  to 
inquire  after  the  welfare  of  his  shepherd  brethren. 
Not  finding  them  near  Shechem,  he  was  directed 
hither  where  they  had  removed  with  their  flocks.  As 
he  came  to  the  top  of  the  hill  we  have  just  ascended, 
and  which  overlooks  Dothan,  "  they  saw  him  afar  off," 
recognizing  his  brilliant  robe,  and  in  their  envy, 
"  conspired  against  him  to  slay  him."  Perhaps  a  dili- 
gent search  would  be  rewarded  by  finding  the  identi- 
cal pit  into  which  Joseph  was  cast.  These  pits,  or  dry 
cisterns,  are  common  in  Palestine.  I  have  seen  them 
in  various  places ;  there  are  some  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  The  opening,  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter, 
is  level  with  the  ground,  and  they  may  be  twelve  feet 
deep,  and  about  the  same  at  their  largest  diameter, 
being  circular  in  form.  The  sides  are  smoothly  plas- 
tered or  cemented,  and  a  person  falling  into  one  of 
them,  as  sometimes  happens,  could  not  get  out  with- 
out help.  These  pits  are  often  referred  to  in  the 
Bible.  They  are  the  store-houses  of  the  farmers.  All 
kinds  of  grain,  after  being  threshed  and  winowed,  are 


JOSEPH   SOLD ELISHA   AT   DOTHAN.  321 

housed  in  them.  They  are  perfectly  dry  and  tight ; 
and  the  opening  being  hermetically  sealed  and  cov- 
ered with  earth,  grain  and  other  stores  are  there  safe 
from  rats,  mice  and  ants,  and  also  concealed  from  rob- 
bers. In  Jeremiah  there  is  an  account  of  ten  men 
saving  themselves  from  Ishmael's  slaughters  by  say- 
ing, "  Slay  us  not,  for  we  have  treasures  in  the  field, 
of  wheat,  and  of  barley,  and  of  oil,  and  of  honey." 
Their  treasures  were  hid  in  these  dry  cisterns  or  pits. 
Poor  Joseph's  cries  were  disregarded,  and  his  cruel 
brothers  sold  him  to  Midianite  merchants  passing  with 
their  loaded  camels  from  regions  beyond  the  Jordan 
down  to  Egypt,  just  as  they  do  at  this  day  over  the 
same  thoroughfare.  Indeed,  I  saw  in  that  vicinity 
some  of  these  trading  Ishmaelite  caravans  moving 
down  in  the  same  direction. 

Another  wonderful  event  transpired  at  Dothan. 
More  than  eight  hundred  years  after  Joseph  came 
here,  that  hill  around  which  his  brethren  watered  their 
flocks,  was  crowned  with  a  city,  and  for  a  time  it  was 
the  resort  of  the  prophet  Elisha.  The  king  of  Syria 
was  at  war  with  the  Israelites  and  sent  his  armies  to 
attack  them  at  Samaria.  Elisha,  anticipating  his 
movements,  often  thwarted  his  purposes.  Enraged 
against  the  prophet,  he  sent  a  legion  to  Dothan  to  take 
him.  The  army  came  down  through  these  mountain 
passes,  and  with  their  horses  and  chariots,  "  a  great 
host,"  surrounded  the  city.  This  was  done  in  the 
silence  of  the  night,  and  Elisha's  servant  in  the  early 
morning  was  overwhelmed  at  the  sight.  "Alas,  my 
master !  how  shall  we  do  ?  "  The  calm  and  trusting 
prophet  replied :  "  Fear  not ;  for  they  that  be  with  us 


322  A    CELESTIAL   ARMY KUBATIEH. 

are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them."  And  as  he 
prayed  that  the  young  man's  eyes  might  be  opened — 

The  earthly  film  before  his  face 
Was  drawn  aside,  and  in  its  place 
Came  a  soft  medium,  crystal  clear, 
In  which  celestial  things  appear. 
Bright  glories,  crowning  Dothan's  hill, 
His  raptured  spirit  strangely  thrill ; 
All  round  the  dazzling  height  he  sees, 
Amid  the  rocks  and  through  the  trees, 
A  white-robed  host  in  armor  bright — 
Chariots  of  fire  and  steeds  of  light. 

In  this  vision  of  those  ministers  of  flaming  fire  that 
God  sends  to  aid  His  people,  the  servant  saw  the 
words  of  his  master  verified.  There  are  always  more 
for  them  than  against  them.  The  prophet  prays 
again,  and  the  Syrian  host  are  smitten  with  blindness, 
and  he  leads  them  at  will  to  Samaria.  How  interest- 
ing to  look  upon  the  hill  once  crowned  and  blazing 
with  that  glorious  heavenly  army  !  Precious  are  the 
lessons  of  Doth  an,  and  a  blessed  thought  is  suggested, 
to  the  traveler  far  from  home  :  "  He  shall  give  His 
angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy 
ways." 

Soon  after  resuming  our  journey  we  past  through 
the  large  village  of  Kubatieh,  finely  located  in  a  fruit- 
ful and  romantic  region  abounding  in  olive-trees  of 
uncommon  size  and  thrift.  A  few  miles,  winding 
along  the  plain,  over  a  rocky  plateau,  and  through  a 
verdant  glen  with  terraced  sides,  bring  us  to  the 
northern  frontier  of  the  central  hills  of  Palestine — a 
region  rich  in  Scripture  associations.  Among  these 


JENIN — EN-GANNIM.  323 

lulls  Gideon  was  reared,  the  great  captain  of  Manasseh, 
whose  territory  lay  along  this  frontier  from  the  dis- 
tant hills  of  Bashan  and  Gilead  beyond  the  Jordan 
valley  on  the  east,  to  Carmel  and  the  sea  on  'the  west. 
Here,  as  the  hills  break  down  into  Esdaraelon,  we 
cross  the  boundary  between  the  provinces  of  Samaria 
and  Galilee  ;  and  these  are  the  passes  that  were  so  of- 
ten defended  against  the  invaders  from  the  north,  by 
the  "  horns"  of  Joseph,  the  "  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim, 
and  the  thousands  of  Manasseh." 

Our  tents  are  pitched  just  west  of  Jenin,  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  green  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  beside  a 
clear,  flowing  brook — a  part  of  the  river  Kishon  near 
its  sources.  Jenin,  whose  Scripture  name  is  En-gan 
nin,  a  city  of  Issachar,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a 
slope  that  overlooks  the  great  and  fertile  plain.  Rich 
gardens,  hedged  with  tall  cactus  or  prickly  pear,  skirt 
the  base  of  the  hills,  which  rise  somewhat  steeply 
back  of  the  town,  while  a  few  palm-trees  below  give 
an  oriental  aspect  to  the  place.  It  contains  a  popula- 
tion perhaps  exceeding  two  thousand,  all  Moslems, 
and  of  a  quarreling  disposition.  En-gannim  signifies 
the  "  Fountain  of  Gardens,"  and  the  fountain  which 
made  its  ancient  gardens  so  flourishing  still  flows  to 
enrich  and  beautify  its  present  gardens.  It  is  a  pleas- 
ant spot  to  spend  the  night.  I  walked  out  by  the 
stream  in  the  evening,  thinking  of  the  wonderful 
events  that  had  transpired  at  Dothan,  and  looking  at 
the  sweet  stars  so  beautifully  bright  in  the  clear  skies 
of  the  Holy  Land.  The  croaking  of  frogs  by  the 
brook,  the  first  I  had  heard,  recalled  familiar  sounds 
of  the  spring-time  and  the  streams  in  childhood  days. 


XXVIII. 

pain  of  <MmI0n— Itjml— Sfewim— flak 

BEAUTIFUL,  clear,  balmy  and  delicious  was  the  Spring 
morning  when  we  left  our  camping  ground  at  Jenin. 
Our  course  was  northerly,  leaving  at  this  point  the 
mountains  and  passes  of  Manasseh,  and  the  crystal 
brook,  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Kishon,  that  had 
murmured  by  our  tents  through  the  night.  We  were 
now  in  the  margin  of  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon,  so 
memorable  as  the  ancient  battle-field  of  nations.  To 
the  traveler  who  has  wandered  over  the  "  hill  coun- 
try" and  "  wilderness"  of  Judea,  the  mountains  of 
Benjamin,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  including  the  hills 
of  Samaria,  the  contrast  presented  by  the  aspect  of 
Issachar  and  Zebulon,  especially  Issachar,  as  seen  in 
this  broad,  smooth  and  fertile  plain,  is  as  striking  as  it 
is  pleasing.  I  was  surprised  at  the  perpetual  hilliness 
and  stoniness  of  southern  and  central  Palestine,  and 
delighted  to  find  a  region  here  in  Galilee  so  entirely 
different.  The  form  of  this  grand  plain  approaches  a 
triangle,  the  eastern  side  running  along  on  the  margin 
of  the  Jordan  valley,  the  northern  by  the  mountains 
of  Galilee  to  Carmel,  and  the  southwestern  by  the 
northern  base  of  the  Samaritan  hills.  A  line  from 
these  hills  to  those  of  Galilee  on  the  north,  which  are 
the  roots  of  Lebanon,  passes  through  the  central  and 


PLAIN    OF    ESDKAELON.  325 

widest  part  of  the  plain,  a  distance  of  about  eighteen 
miles  ;  and  this  is  what  is  called  in  Scripture  the  Yal- 
ley  of  Megiddo.  Its  only  river  is  the  Kishon,  so  fatal 
to  the  army  of  Sisera,  flowing  to  the  northwest  and 
emptying  into  the  Mediterranean  near  Mount  Carmel, 
where  there  is  an  opening  to  the  plain  of  Acre.  From 
Esdraelon  on  the  east,  three  valleys  break  down  to  the 
Jordan ;  the  first  between  the  hills  at  Jenin  and 
Mount  Gilboa,  the  second  between  Gil  boa  and  Little 
Hermon,  and  the  third  between  Little  Hermon  and 
Mount  Tabor.  The  central  one  is  properly  the  ancient 
valley  of  Jezreel — the  richest  and  most  celebrated — 
the  scene  of  great  events  in  Bible  history.  This  in 
time  gave  its  name  to  the  whole  plain  ;  Esdraelon  be- 
ing only  the  Greek  rendering  of  Jezreel. 

The  appearance  of  this  vast  plain  of  Esdraelon  as  I 
beheld  it  and  journeyed  through  it  in  the  blooming 
springtime,  was  that  of  a  beautiful  prairie,  not  entirely 
level,  but  in  portions  undulating — an  unbroken  ex- 
panse of  verdure.  The  rank  grass  and  weeds,  and 
the  luxuriant  cornfields,  or  young  wheat,  on  the  few 
spots  cultivated,  give  ample  evidence  of  the  fer- 
tility of  the  soil.  Still,  as  you  scarcely  see  an  inhab- 
ited village  on  its  whole  broad  surface,  so  much  of 
which  is  mere  waste  land,  there  is  an  aspect  of  desola- 
tion amidst  living  beauty.  Lawless  Bedawin,  from 
beyond  the  Jordan,  sweep  over  it  on  their  fleet  Ara- 
bian horses  and  escape  with  their  plunder  in  defiance 
of  an  inefficient  government.  From  earliest  history, 
it  has  never  been  secure.  The  iron  chariots  of  the 
old  Canaanites  rolled  over  it  in  triumph  ;  the  Midian- 
ites,  and  the  Amalekites,  the  Philistines,  and  the 


326  MOUNT   GILBOA. 

Syrians,  in  turn,  devastated  it  with  their  hostile  cara- 
vans and  armies.  In  the  division  of  the  land  this  plain 
fell  to  Issachar,  a  tribe  that  found  it  difficult  to  main- 
tain their  exposed  possession,  and  so  became  some- 
what assimilated  to  their  heathen  neighbors  and  even 

O 

their  tributaries*.  Only  once  did  they  shake  off  the 
Canaanite  yoke,  when  hard  pressed  by  Sisera,  "  the 
princes  of  Issachar  were  with  Deborah."  "  Issachar 
is  a  strong  ass,  crouching  down  between  two  burdens ; 
and  he  saw  that  rest  was  good,  and  the  land  that  it 
was  pleasant ;  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to  bear,  and 
became  a  servant  unto  tribute." 

"Wonderful  events  have  transpired  on  this  plain  and 
the  mountains  that  border  it,  and  it  is  deeply  interest- 
ing to  look  upon  these  ancient  and  Scripture-hallowed 
localities.  On  the  left  are  visible  the  sites  of  Taanach 
and  Megiddo — the  scene  of  two  great  battles,  one  a 
grand  victory  for  Israel  in  the  complete  rout  of  the 
hosts  of  Jabin  and  Sisera,  the  other  a  sad  defeat,  in 
which  the  good  King  Josiah  was  slain  by  the  Egyptian 
archers  of  Pharaoh-Necho.  But  a  more  prominent 
object  is  Mount  Gilboa,  on  our  right,  associated  with 
Saul,  and  Jonathan,  and  Gideon — with  sad  memories 
of  death,  and  touching,  tender  lamentations  over 
those  slain  upon  their  high  places.  Its  naked  ridge 
rises  up  a  few  hundred  feet,  and  its  summit  is  crown- 
ed with  a  village.  Its  jagged  brow  is  bleak  and  bare, 
reminding  us  of  the  pathetic  strain  of  David :  "  Ye 
mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there  be  no  rains  upon  you, 
neither  dew,  nor  field  of  offerings ;  for  there  the 
ehield  of  the  mighty  was  vilely  cast  away — the  shield 
of  Saul  as  though  he  had  not  been  annointed  with 


327 

oil."     Our  patli  is  close  by  its  western  base,  and  leads 
us  over  into  the  valley  of  Jezreel. 

We  soon  reach  and  ascend  a  little  round  elevation 
in  the  midst  of  the  valley.  A  cluster  of  wretched 
houses  and  an  old  tower  crown  the  hill.  Here,  on  this 
commanding  and  beautiful  spot  stood -the  ancient  and 
splendid  city  of  Jezreel.  The  country  around  is  lux- 
uriantly rich — the  velvet  lawn  of  verdure  stretching 
away  to  Carmel  on  the  west  and  to  the  Jordan  on  the 
east ;  to  Little  Hermon  on  the  north,  and  to  Gilboa 
on  the  southeast.  So  fine  and  central  a  situation 
might  well  be  coveted  by  Ahab  and  his  queen  as  the 
seat  of  their  court  Round  the  village,  called  Zerin, 
are  heaps  of  rubbish,  a  number  of  artificial  caves  or 
cisterns,  used  as  store-houses  for  grain,  and  several 
sarcophagi  of  hewn  stone,  serving  the  purpose  of  wa- 
tering-troughs, l^et  this  is  royal  Jezreel  where  Ahab 
built  his  palace,  and  the  scene  of  some  of  the  bloodiest 
tragedies  on  record.  We  look  down  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  hill  and  recall  the  sad  story  of  Naboth  and  his 
vineyard  which  doubtless  was  there.  The  crafty  and 
cruel  Jezebel  had  procured  his  death ;  and  as  Ahab 
went  to  take  possession  of  the  vineyard  he  was  met  by 
Elijah  with  words  of  terrible  denunciation  and  doom. 
Up  that  valley  from  the  Jordan  we  see  how  Jehu's 
troops  might  be  observed  advancing — his  own  furious 
driving  being  watched  from  the  tower  that  stood  per- 
haps where  this  old  tower  now  stands.  In  that  vine- 
yard he  met  the  two  sovereigns,  and  sent  a  deadly  ar- 
row to  the  heart  of  Joram,  while  Ahaziah  fled  over  the 
plain  toward  the  "garden-house,"  or  En-gannim,  but 
was  overtaken  and  wounded,  and  died  at  Megiddo.  As 


328 

Jehu  reached  the  open  space  by  the  gate,  the  dis- 
guised Jezebel  was  thrown  from  a  window  of  her 
palace  chamber  and  trampled  under  the  hoofs  of  his 
horses.  Around  the  dead  queen  the  voracious  dogs 
gathered  and  feasted,  as  to  this  day  they  prowl  about 
these  old  mounds  for  whatever  may  be  thrown  out  to 
them.  The  heads  of  the  seventy  sons  of  Ahab  were 
brought  here  in  baskets,  and  lay  in  "  two  heaps  at  the 
entering  in  of  the  gate  until  the  morning."  These 
events  of  Bible  history  are  most  strikingly  ilustrated 
and  confirmed  by  the  natural  features  around  us. 

Looking  down  the  green  valley  at  the  east  we  see  a 
rounded  hill,  the  site  of  ancient  Bethshean.  It  was 
one  of  the  Canaanite  strongholds.  To  its  wall  the  dead 
bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  were  fastened.  They  had 
been  slain  on  the  heights  of  Gilboa,  just  south  of  it, 
now  in  full  view  from  Jezreel.  Beyond  Bethshean  is 
the  bed  of  the  Jordan,  and  over  that,  loom  up  the 
dark  mountains  of  Gilead  and  Bashan. 

At  the  northern  base  of  Gilboa  there  is  a  large 
fountain — a  noted  spot  in  sacred  history — the  scene 
of  one  of  the  most  memorable  victories,  and  of  one 
of  the  most  memorable  defeats,  in  the  annals  of  Is- 
rael. At  this  fountain  or  the  brook  flowing  from  it, 
the  three  hundred  men  of  Gibeon  lapped,  and  here  is 
where  they  conquered  the  Midianites  and  their  allies, 
as  they  broke  their  pitchers,  blew  their  trumpets,  and 
shouted  on  the  midnight  air  the  wild  war-cry,  "  The 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon  !"  Here,  too,  was 
fought  the  battle  in.  which  Saul  was  overcome  by  the 
Philistines. 

Two  or  three  miles  to  the  northwest  of  Jezreel  we 


BEDAWIN    TENTS — SHUNEM.  329 

Bee  a  mound  in  the  plain,  the  seat  of  a  fortification  in 
the  times  of  the  Crusades,  and  remarkable  in  recent 
times  as  the  central  point  of  the  battle  between  the 
Turks  and  the  French  led  by  the  brave  Kleber  under 
Napoleon,  called  the  Battle  of  Mount  Tabor,  in  which 
three  thousand  French  soldiers  "  resisted  successfully 
ten  times  their  number,  during  the  period  of  six  hours 
in  an  open  plain." 

We  descend  the  hill  on  which  Jezreel  was  situated, 
and  pass  in  the  valley  an  encampment  of  wild 
Bedawin — their  tents  "  black  as  the  tents  of  Kedar," 
and  not  differing  materially  from  those  of  their  ances- 
tors, the  Midianites,  in  the  days  of  Gideon,  near  three 
thousand  years  ago,  when  they  filled  this  valley  like 
grasshoppers  in  multitude.  They  came  for  the  pur- 
pose of  plunder,  as  do  their  descendants.  Passing 
through  rich  cornfields  and  ascending  the  slope  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  valley  at  the  southwestern  base 
of  Little  Hermon,  we  come  to  the  village  of  Sulem, 
suggesting  the  name  Shunem,  which  was  here.  Rank 
and  lofty  hedges  of  prickly  pear  border  like  a  wall 
this  thrifty  place.  Here  the  Philistines  encamped 
before  the  battle  of  Gilboa.  But  as  the  scene  of  the 
touching  story  of  the  Shunamite  woman  which  I  read 
here,  this  spot  awakens  a  deep  and  lively  interest. 
Here  dwelt  "  that  great  woman,"  the  hospitality  of 
whose  house  the  man  of  God  shared.  She  with  her 
husband  built  and  furnished  for  Elisha  a  little  cham- 
ber on  the  wall,  where  the  wayfaring  prophet  found  a 
cordial  welcome  and  a  home.  Houses  are  still  seen 
with  such  a  chamber  on  a  corner  of  the  flat  roof.  Into 
one  of  those  fine  cornfields  on  the  plain  south  of  the 


THE   SHUNAMITE   WOMAN — MOUNT   TABOR. 

village  went  the  dear  child  to  his  father  among  the 
reapers ;  and  there  under  the  hot  sun  in  time  of  har- 
vest— just  as  would  happen  now  unless  particular  care 
were  taken  to  shield  the  head — he  sank  under  a  sun- 
stroke, and  was  carried  home  to  his  mother,  and  sat 
on  her  knees  till  noon,  and  then  he  died.  Poor 
woman  !  She  laid  him  on  the  prophet's  bed,  and  has- 
tened to  him  at  Carmel,  at  least  twelve  miles  distant ; 
and  I  could  see  over  the  level  plain  the  whole  way 
that  she  traveled  to  the  mountain.  "  Is  it  well  with 
the  child  ?"  That  must  have  been  a  trying  question, 
but  her  faith  failed  not. 

As  we  passed  through  the  village  I  observed  a 
woman  by  the  wayside  winnowing  wheat,  and  she 
pleasantly  gave  me  a  handful  of  it — sol  brought  home 
some  wheat  which  very  likely  grew  on  the  identical 
field  where  the  Shunamite's  boy  went  out  to  the  reap- 
ers. I  wondered  what  interest  the  present  mothers  of 
Shunem  take  in  this  tender  story,  and  whether,  when 
any  of  their  children  die,  they  think  of  the  prophet's 
chamber,  and  the  sad  mother's  journey  to  Carmel,  and 
long  for  some  Elisha  to  come  with  power  to  revive 
their  dear  dead  ones  !  Whenever  I  made  inquiry  of 
the  people  living  in  Scripture  localities,  they  seemed 
to  have  a  knowledge  of  the  events  that  had  there 
transpired,  but  manifested  very  little  interest  in 
them. 

A  little  way  beyond  Shunem,  passing  around  the 
western  base  of  Little  Hermon,  we  had  our  first  view 
of  Mount  Tabor,  five  or  six  miles  distant  over  the 
level  plain,  from  which  it  rises  in  beautiful  form  and 
outline,  a  perfect  gem  of  a  mountain,  exciting  our  ad- 


LITTLE   HERMON NAIN.  331 

miration  and  delight.  It  looks  not  much  like  any 
picture  I  ever  saw  of  it,  but  rather  like  the  segment 
of  a  great  sphere,  dotted  with  trees  to  its  summit.  It 
has  a  charming  grace  of  proportion  and  position  that 
surpass  our  expectations.  From  the  slope  of  Little 
Hermon  I  enjoyed  a  wide  and  enchanting  prospect. 
As  we  journeyed  towards  Tabor,  I  noticed  a  little  vil- 
lage about  two  miles  to  the  right  of  us.  Inquiring  of 
Ibrahim  what  place  it  was,  and  learning  that  it  was 
Nain^  I  was  unwilling  to  pass  by,  as  we  were  doing, 
a  place  of  such  sacred  and  tender  interest,  without 
an  actual  visit.  I  mentioned  this  to  one  of  our  com- 
pany near  me,  and  proposed  to  strike  off  for  I^ain. 
He  seconded  the  proposal;  and  just  then  seeing  a 
path  leading  in  that  direction,  I  shouted,  Ho !  for 
E"ain !  and  galloped  away ;  but  no  one  followed. 
Perilous  though  it  might  be,  I  ventured  on  alone,  and 
visited  that  memorable  place — the  same  Nain  where 
our  blessed  Saviour  wrought  one  of  His  great  and 
glorious  miracles.  Its  houses  are  few  and  poor,  but 
its  situation  nestled  on  the  slope  of  Little  Hermon, 
commands  a  wide  view  over  the  plain  and  the  moun- 
tains of  Galilee.  Heaps  of  rubbish  and  old  building- 
stones  lie  around  the  village.  Caves  and  tombs  in 
the  hillside  a  little  southeast  of  the  town  110  doubt 
mark  its  ancient  cemetery.  To  that  spot,  winding 
around  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  the  funeral  pro- 
cession, with  the  dead  young  man  on  an  open  bier, 
was  moving  with  a  weeping  train,  when  it  was  met  by 
another  large  procession,  coming  down  the  slope  from 
the  northeast,  with  Jesus  at  its  head  !  Blessed  and 
tender  words  were  those  to  the  sorrowing  mother — 


332          ENDOR — SAUL  AND  THE  WITCH. 

"  "Weep  not."  Never  was  another  funeral  procession 
thus  stopped  and  dismissed !  Sweet  Nain !  It  was  a 
precious  privilege  to  visit  it  and  look  upon  the  exist- 
ing though  silent  witnesses  of  the  glorious  miracle. 
Seeing  an  old  man  and  woman  washing  clothes  at  a 
fountain  as  I  was  leaving  the  village,  I  inquired  for  a 
nearer  way  to  Jebel  et-Tur,  or  Mount  Tabor.  They 
kindly  directed  me  to  the  right  path,  and  I  soon  over- 
took the  party. 

Endor,  like  Nain,  clings  to  one  of  the  lower  slopes 
of  Little  Hermon.  We  saw  it  on  our  right,  a  small 
village,  and  remarkable  as  the  home  of  the  witch 
whom  Saul  consulted  the  night  before  his  death.  He 
looked  from  his  camp  at  the  base  of  Gilboa  across 
the  valley  to  the  host  of  the  Philistines  at  Shunem. 
"  He  was  afraid,  and  his  heart  greatly  trembled."  In 
his  desperation  he  commits  this  last  great  error.  The 
sun  had  gone  down  over  Mount  Carmel,  and  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night  the  king,  with  his  two  attend- 
ants, steals  across  the  valley  of  Jezreel,  leaves  the 
camp  of  the  Philistines  on  his  left,  winds  over  Little 
Hermon  just  east  of  Xain,  and  descends  the  declivity 
to  Endor.  Perhaps  in  one  of  those  wild  cavern-like 
excavations,  a  suitable  home  for  a  witch,  the  interview 
transpired,  with  the  astonishing  appearance  of  Samuel, 
predicting  the  defeat  of  Israel  and  the  death  of  Saul 
and  his  sons  on  the  morrow.  With  a  heavy  heart  the 
doomed  king  must  have  retraced  his  steps  amid 
shadows  prophetic  of  a  gloomier  night. 

Another  hour  over  the  rich,  verdant  plain  brings  us 
to  the  base  of  that  beautiful  and  memorable  moun- 
tain, Tabor.  Our  tents  are  pitched  in  the  border  of  a 


DEBUKIEH — DEBOKAH.  333 

little  village  called  Deburieh,  probably  the  site  of 
Daberath  mentioned  in  Joshua  and  elsewhere,  but 
suggesting  the  name  Deborah ;  for  here  was  the 
scene  of  her  wonderful  exploits.  As  she  gave  the 
signal  on  the  summit  of  Tabor,  Barak  with  the  troops 
rushed  down  the  slope,  perhaps  at  this  spot,  and  met 
the  mighty  foe  out  on  that  beautiful  plain  of  Megiddo, 
where  "the  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against 
Sisera,"  and  where  "the  river  Kishon  swept  them 
away,  that  ancient  river  the  river  Kishon." 

"  Here  sleep  the  still  rocks  and  the  caverns  which  rang 
To  the  song  which  the  beautiful  prophetess  sang, 
When  the  princes  of  Issachar  stood  by  her  side, 
And  the  shout  of  a  host  in  its  triumph  replied." 


XXIX. 

Sptat  fate  anfo  %  §*a  0f  <Mto, 

AROUND  the  mountains  and  plains,  the  hills  and  val- 
leys of  Palestine,  what  sacred  associations  cluster! 
How  favored  are  the  eyes  that  look  upon  those  rocky 
slopes  and  summits,  those  green  vales  and  wild  glens, 
the  crystal  fountain,  stream,  or  lake — the  same  as  of 
old — and  how  privileged  the  feet  that  tread  where 
mighty  wrarriors,  royal  monarchs,  inspired  prophets 
and  apostles,  and,  above  all,  the  world's  Redeemer, 
left  their  foot-prints !  So  I  felt  as  we  began  the 
ascent  of  Mount  Tabor  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Our  path  wound  around  the  western  base 
of  the  mountain  where  by  a  narrow  vale  it  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  hills  about  Nazareth.  We  passed 
over  to  the  northern  side  in  our  gradual  ascent,  and 
found  it  considerably  covered  with  moderate-sized 
trees,  mostly  oak,  crowned  with  a  fresh,  green,  luxu- 
riant foliage.  We  saw  no  other  hill  or  mountain  in 
Palestine  adorned  with  such  a  forest.  It  was  a  pleas- 
ant and  home-like  sight.  It  required  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  to  reach  the  summit — not  quite  two  thous- 
and feet  above  the  sea-level — and  in  som-e  places  the 
path  was  so  steep  and  rocky  that  our  horses  found  it 
difficult  to  pick  their  way  along.  On  the  summit  is 
an  oblong  area  or  nearly  level  surface  about  half  a 


SUMMIT    OF   TABOK — SEA    OF    GALILEE.  335 

mile  in  length  east  and  west  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  width,  surrounded  by  masses  of  old  masonry  or 
wall-like  structures  built  on  ledges  of  the  natural 
rock.  The  best  preserved  of  these  relics  is  a  Sara- 
cenic arch  called  the  "  Tower  of  the  Winds."  Tan- 
gled thickets  of  thorn,  dwarf  oak,  and  rank  thistles,  half 
cover  the  ruins,  rendering  some  places  difficult  of  ex- 
ploration. Here  and  there  are  found  deep  cisterns  or 
pits  hewn  in  the  rock.  The  center  of  the  area  is  an 
open  space  of  garden-like  beauty —  a  grassy  lawn 
beaming  with  gay  and  lovely  flowers.  Among  the 
ruins  near  this  there  is  a  human  habitation  occupied 
by  one  or  two  monks  or  hermits.  Priests  of  the 
Latin  and  Greek  churches  come  here  at  certain  festi- 
val seasons  to  perform  mass  or  other  services. 

But  the  eye  is  eager  to  be  drinking  in  the  glorious 
views  which  this  mountain-top  affords.  It  is  a  vernal 
afternoon,  clear  and  still ;  the  sun  is  nearing  the  hori- 
zon over  the  hills  of  Nazareth,  and  the  whole  scene 
with  its  associations — the  far-spread  panorama  of 
diversified  objects  of  strange  and  sacred  interest — 
seems  to  throw  an  extatic  spell  over  the  mind  as 
I  stand  on  that  old  gray-grown  arch,  the  highest 
point,  and  look  around  in  every  direction  with  silent 
wonder  and  inexpressible  delight.  First  of  all,  I  am 
looking  over  the  plain  toward  the  northeast  to  a  vast 
crater-like  opening  or  basin,  some  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant, where  I  know  reposes  the  most  memorable, 
sacred  and  lovely  lake  in  the  world.  Yes,  there  it 
is — the  SEA  OF  GALILEE  ! — and  I  see  it  now,  a  glimpse 
of  its  clear  waters  at  its  northwestern  shore,  near  the 
sites  of  Capernaum,  Chorasin  and  Bethsaida.  O 


336  TABOK A   MAGNIFICENT    VIEW. 

blessed  vision — rapturous  moment !  The  long-cher- 
ished desire  is  being  fulfilled.  I  behold  a  portion  of 
that  sea  to  which  I  have  so  often  gone  in  thought  and 
imagination  and  lingered  round  its  shores  and  glanced 
over  its  smooth  or  storm-tossed  surface,  as  I  have 
traced  there  the  footsteps  of  Jesus,  listened  to  Hia 
wondrous  words  and  witnessed  His  stupendous  mira- 
cles. 

"  Blue  sea  of  the  hills ! — in  my  spirit  I  hear 
Thy  waters,  Gennesaret,  chime  on  my  ear ; 
Where  the  Lowly  and  Great  with  the  people  sat  down, 
And  thy  spray  on  the  dust  of  His  sandals  was  thrown. 

"  Beyond  are  Bethulia's  mountains  of  green, 
And  the  desolate  hills  of  the  wild  Gadarene ; 
And  I  pause  on  the  goat-crags  of  Tabor  to  see 
The  gleam  of  thy  waters,  0  dark  Galilee  !" 

The  view  on  every  hand  is  magnificent.  The  course 
of  the  Jordan  for  a  long  distance  can  be  traced,  and 
still  further  east  a  boundless  perspective  of  hills  and 
valleys  stretches  over  ancient  Gilead  and  Bashan. 
Directly  south,  reaching  even  to  the  hills  of  Samaria, 
lies  the  vast  and  beautiful  plain  of  Esdraelon — the  re- 
nowned valley  of  Megiddo — an  unbroken  expanse  of 
verdure,  a  velvet  lawn  of  loveliness,  soft,  tranquil, 
dream-like  and  unencumbered,  yet  in  ages  past  the 
theater  of  great  and  thrilling  events.  Bordering  it  on 
the  left  is  Little  Hermon,  with  the  small  gray  villages 
of  Endor  and  Nain,  and  beyond  it  rises  the  summit 
of  Gilboa  on  which  the  sunlight  lingers  with  radiant 
glory  in  strange  contrast  with  the  gloomy  day  when 
the  King  of  Israel  perished  there  and  Jonathan  fell, 
slain  in  their  "  high  places."  Still  further  south  are 


TABOK,    CARHEL    AND    HERMON.  337 

seen  the  mountains  of  Epliraim  along  which  and  over 
the  valleys  the  mind  glances  to  Ebal  and  Gerizim, 
Bethel  and  Mizpeh,  Zion  and  Olivet.  Then  the  eye 
sweeps  across  the  broad  plain  to  "  the  excellency  of 
Carmel"  on  the  west,  and  follows  its  bold  ridge  north- 
ward till  its  farthest  slope  dips  into  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  which  lies  like  a  dark  line  in  the  purple  horizon. 
Intervening  are  the  hills  of  Galilee,  enclosing  the 
ever-memorable  and  charming  village  of  Nazareth. 
Fields  of  blooming  shrubbery  and  rich  plains  break 
off  at  the  north  from  which  rise  the  Horns  of  Hattin, 
a  double-peaked  elevation  known  as  the  Mount  of 
Beatitudes.  Still  farther  are  the  ranges  of  Lebanon, 
on  one  of  whose  nearest  heights  is  Safed,  "  a  city  set 
upon  a  hill,"  and  in  the  dim  distance  beyond  rises  the 
cone  of  Mount  Hermon,  snow-crowned  and  majestic, 
like  a  dome  of  glory.  Thus  "  Tabor  is  among  the 
mountains  and  Carmel  by  the  sea  ;"  and  one  here  sees 
how  naturally  the  poet-king  groups  the  glorious 
scenery  of  the  Holy  Land:  "The  north  and  the  south, 
Thou  hast  created  them  ;  Tabor  and  Hermon  shall  re- 
joice in  Thy  name." 

The  name  of  this  beautiful  mountain,  frequent  in 
the  Old  Testament,  is  not  once  mentioned  in  the 
New.  But  our  blessed  Lord  must  have  been  familiar 
with  it  from  childhood.  Thousands  of  times  His  holy 
eye  rested  upon  it,  as  it  is  but  six  miles  east  of  Naza- 
reth, and  in  full  view  from  the  western  bank  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  Indeed,  we  have  been  accustomed  to 
associate  one  of  the  most  wonderful  events  in  our 
Saviour's  life  with  this  mountain-top — His  sublime, 
glorious,  heavenly  transfiguration.  And  surely  no 

15 


338  SCENE    OF   THE   TRANSFIGURATION. 

place  could  be  more  befitting ;  and  notwithstanding 
the  objections  urged  on  account  of  the  fortress  on  the 
summit,  I  thought,  as  I  wandered  around  the  brow  of 
that  summit,  and  saw  how  many  retired  and  shady 
nooks  were  there — how  many  secluded  spots  of  charm- 
ing loveliness  admirably  adapted  to  such  a  celestial 
scene — it  surely  might  have  transpired  here.  This 
may  be  "  the  high  mountain  apart,"  where  Jesus  led 
His  three  chosen  apostles  and  was  transfigured  before 
them.  Astonishing,  glorious  sight !  the  like  of  which 
earth  had  never  seen  before.  Here,  in  that  still  night, 
under  the  sweet  and  solemn  stars,  as  Jesus  prayed 
with  His  beloved  three,  a  marvelous  change  came 
over  Him.  His  sad,  sweet,  holy  human  face  bright- 
ened into  the  glory  of  the  Godhead,  out-shining  the 
sun.  At  the  same  time  His  -apparel,  simple  and 
travel-worn,  changed  to  an  unearthly  whiteness  and 
glowing  splendor,  excelling  the  robes  of  angels.  And 
there  were  seen  poised  in  the  air  about  Him,  in  celes- 
tial raiment  Moses  and  Elijah,  and  they  talked  of 
Calvary  and  the  Cross  and  the  dying  Lamb  of  God. 
Enraptured  and  overpowered  with  the  glorious  majesty 
of  the  heavenly  revelation,  Peter  says,  hardly  knowing 
what  he  uttered,  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"- 
and  proposed  to  build  tents  for  his  transfigured 
Saviour  and  the  celestial  visitants.  Then,  to  crown 
the  dazzling  glory  of  the  scene,  a  beaming  cloud  as 
if  descending  from  the  throne  of  God  overshadowed 
them,  and  a  wondrous  voice  broke  from  it  on  the  still- 
ness of  the  night  air — "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear 
Him."  The  apostles  sank  overwhelmed  to  the  earth. 
At  length  a  gracious  hand  touched  them — they  arose, 


ELIJAH,    AND    THE   TRIAL    OF   BAAL.  339 

looked  up,  and  saw  Jesus  only.  Whether  this  sub- 
lime event  transpired  here  upon  Tabor,  or  on  one  of 
those  peaks  toward  Hermon  yonder,  we  shall  not  cer- 
tainly know  in  this  world ;  but  the  scene  is  a  beauti- 
ful and  blessed  glimpse  of  Heaven  and  of  our  glorified 
Redeemer  there  ;  and  it  is  a  precious  privilege  to 
have  under  one's  eye  the  place  where  it  did  transpire, 
and  perhaps  to  stand  on  the  very  spot  that  witnessed 
it  all. 

Looking  from  the  summit  of  Tabor  over  broad 
Esdraelon's  plain — so  long  the  Armageddon  of  old — 
now  so  green  and  beautiful,  so  flowery  and  fruitful,  I 
think  of  that  strangely  contrasting  view  of  it,  some 
twenty-eight  hundred  years  ago,  when  the  wicked 
Ahab  had  his  palace  and  throne  at  Jezreel ;  when 
Elijah  prayed  to  God  from  yonder  Carmel ;  when  the 
heavens  became  as  brass,  the  early  and  latter  rain 
were  withheld  for  three  and  a  half  years,  and  this 
goodly  plain  was  all  a  parched,  bare  and  arid  waste — 
a  hot  and  gloomy  desolation — and  men  and  beasts 
wandered  hither  and  thither  for  aught  to  allay  their 
raging  thirst  and  hunger.  The  prophet  and  king  met 
on  this  plain.  The  trial  of  God  and  Baal  was  arran- 
ged. On  that  southeastern  cliff  of  Carmel  the  test 
was  made.  Baal  was  discomfited  by  power  and  fire 
from  heaven.  His  priests  were  slain  by  the  Kishon 
yonder.  Elijah  prays  again  on  that  mountain  slope. 
The  little  cloud  gathers  from  the  sea  beyond,  and  the 
showers  descend.  The  prophet  runs  before  the  chariot 
of  the  king  to  Jezreel ;  and  so  closes  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  days  in  history,  filling  the  ages  with  its 


340  THE    NEW    PROPHET A   FINE    MOENING. 

lessons,  and  inspiring  even  our  prayers  and  encour- 
aging our  trust  in  Israel's  God. 

Along  these  battle-fields  of  Megiddo  our  blessed 
Lord  came,  the  Prophet  of  a  New  Dispensation,  the 
Herald  of  life  and  peace.  Yonder  He  taught  the 
multitudes,  fed  the  famishing  thousands,  and  stilled 
the  stormy  sea.  There,  at  Nain,  He  stanched  the 
tears  of  sorrow  and  mourning,  and  raised  the  dead  to 
life.  Here  He  was  gloriously  transfigured  ;  and  on 
that  far-oif  hill  He  bowed  in  death  on  the  cross,  and 
from  the  mount  over  the  vale  He  ascended  to  heaven. 
O,  earth's  battle-fields  shall  yet  glow  with  the  sweet 
and  blessed  victories  of  the  Prince  of  salvation. 
Where  strife  and  death  and  mourning  have  reigned, 
peace  and  life  and  love  and  songs  of  joy  shall  abound. 
Beautiful  Tabor !  Gladly  would  I  have  lingered 
long  amidst  visions  so  attractive,  so  grand  and  sub- 
lime— amidst  surrounding  objects  in  themselves  so 
sacred  and  enchanting,  and  suggestive  of  reflections 
that  throng  the  mind  and  almost  etherealize  the 
soul. 

In  good  season  the  next  morning  we  were  leaving 
our  camping-ground,  and  passing  around  the  western 
and  northern  base  of  Mount  Tabor,  on  our  way  to  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  It  is  the  last  day  of  March,  and  never 
could  a  morning  be  more  beautiful  or  charming.  The 
sun  shines  in  a  cloudless  sky,  and  drinks  the  pearly 
dew-drops  from  leaf  and  blossom.  The  birds  are  sing- 
ing in  the  trees.  Tulips  and  other  brilliant  flowers 
are  smiling  upon  us  from  the  ground.  The  woody 
slope  of  Tabor,  in  its  fresh  full  foliage,  is  grateful  to 
the  eye.  And  as  we  move  on  in  the  delightful  valley, 


WILD   SONS    OF   ISHMAEL.  341 

the  form  of  the  liills  and  the  small  oak-trees  and  other 
shrubbery  that  cover  them,  so  different  from  the  gen- 
eral aspect  of  Palestine,  yet  so  like  certain  landscapes 
at  home,  recalling  the  scenes  of  childhood,  that  for  a 
moment  I  seemed  to  be  in  New  England  on  a  June 
morning.  But  before  emerging  from  these  shady  ra- 
vines to  the  plain  beyond,  we  have  evidence  of  our 
position  among  the  wild  sons  of  Ishmael.  We  observe 
the  dark  figures  of  these  strolling  Arabs — now  a  soli- 
tary Bedawy  lurking  by  the  way,  and  then  knots  of 
three  or  four  of  them  crossing  our  path — all  having  a 
fierce  and  savage  loook,  and  armed  with  guns,  daggers 
and  clubs — watching  for  the  unprotected  or  unarmed 
traveler.  Many  a  robbery  and  doubtless  worse  crime 
have  been  committed  in  this  retired  spot  and  amid 
these  leafy  and  flowery  beauties  of  nature.  Our 
dragoman  overheard  a  group  of  them  conversing  about 
us.  "  They  are  a  large  party,"  said  one  of  them  ;  "  we 
must  let  them  pass  undisturbed."  I  thought  of  the 
lines — 

11  Where  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile." 

Alas,  that  this  should  be,  so  near  the  home  of  our 
Saviour  at  Nazareth  and  Capernaum,  and  the  Mount 
of  Beatitudes  where  He  announced  the  Golden  Rule. 
In  crossing  the  open  plain,  rich  in  cornfields,  we 
passed  a  huge  old  stone  khan,  with  loopholed  towers 
at  the  corners,  the  only  building  we  saw.  A  few  na- 
tives are  in  the  fields  where  once  crowds  followed  in 
the  steps  of  Jesus.  Along  this  plain  He  must  have 
passed  when,  rejected  at  Nazareth,  he  took  up  His 
abode  at  Capernaum.  The  Mount  of  Beatitudes  is 


342  ON  THE  BANK  CF  THE  LAKE. 

near  us  on  the  left,  and  perhaps  we  are  on  the  spot 
where  the  "  disciples  were  an  hungered,  and  began  to 
pluck  the  ears  of  corn,  and  to  eat."  Two  or  three  of 
us,  anxious  for  an  early  sight  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
speed  on  in  advance,  and  as  we  come  to  the  edge  of 
the  high  bank,  the  beautiful  and  glorious  vision  is  be- 
fore us.  "With  tearful  gratitude  we  look  down  upon  the 
sweet,  tranquil  and  sacred  lake,  and  then  uncover  our 
heads  and  shout  in  joyful  exultation.  The  bank  here 
is  somewhat  higher  than  I  had  supposed,  otherwise 
everything  looked  much  as  my  fancy  had  often  painted 
it.  The  extent,  the  shape,  the  hills  surrounding — now 
high  and  rocky  and  then  depressed  to  little  vales  and 
plains — all  things  about  the  lovely  sea  had  a  familiar 
look,  I  had  so  studied  its  topography,  and  pictured  it 
so  often  in  my  mind,  and  lingered  with  such  intense 
interest  about  its  hallowed  shores.  And  now  I  am 
actually  gazing  upon  it !  How  near  I  seem  to  come 
to  the  days  of  Jesus  and  the  wondrous  scenes  asso- 
ciated with  His  ministry  here  ! 

As  we  stand  on  the  high  and  sloping  bank  about  a 
third  of  the  distance  from  the  southern  to  the  north- 
ern extremity  of  the  lake,  its  surface  lies  about  a 
thousand  feet  below  us.  Its  length  is  perhaps  thirteen 
miles,  and  its  width  about  half  that  distance  in  its 
broadest  and  central  part.  The  city  of  Tiberias  is 
before  us  close  to  the  water's  edge.  South  of  it  there 
is  a  promontory  that  excludes  a  view  of  the  south- 
western shore.  Turning  to  the  north  the  eye  glances 
over  another  promontory  behind  which  is  the  little 
rich  plain  of  Gennesaret,  and  then  follows  the  curve 
of  the  shore,  bending  away  to  the  northeast,  where 


THE   VIEW    AROUND — THE   DESCENT.  343 

the  bank  is  not  very  high,  and  where  was  the  central 
field  of  our  Lord's  labors.  At  the  farthest  point  of  the 
Sea  the  Jordan  flows  in  through  a  ravine.  Tracing 
the  eastern  coast  down,  at  first  there  is  a  very  gradual 
slope  to  the  water  and  a  green,  lawn-like  spot,  that 
you  feel  must  be  the  place  where  Jesus  fed  the  five 
thousand  as  they  sat  in  companies  on  the  grass.  Far- 
ther down,  the  bank  rises  and  becomes  bolder  and 
rocky,  till  you  are  sure  you  discover  the  "  steep  place  " 
where  the  herd  of  swine  ran  violently  down  into  the 
sea.  You  distinguish  also  in  those  rocky  palisides, 
with  the  help  of  a  glass,  some  excavations  or  tombs, 
where  no  doubt  dwelt  the  wild  Gadarene  whom  Jesus 
healed.  Looking  back  of  us  we  see  the  arched  form 
of  Tabor  and  the  hills  of  Nazareth,  and  north  of  these 
the  ridges  of  Lebanon  and  the  city  of  Safed  ;  and  away 
beyond  the  extremity  of  the  lake  in  the  dim  distance 
is  the  snow-crowned  brow  of  Hermon — a  conspicuous 
and  beautiful  object — which,  just  as  it  now  appears, 
must  often  have  met  the  eyes  of  our  blessed  Lord. 
The  hills  of  Gilead  and  Bashan  lie  in  the  eastern 
horizon,  a  portion  of  that  long  mountain  wall  that 
bounds  the  Jordan  valley  on  the  east. 

We  descend  the  declivity  part  way  and  stop,  as  it 
is  now  midday,  and  spread  our  lunch  under  a  large 
fig-tree.  Here  we  seem  to  have  reached  another 
climate.  The  bracing  atmosphere  of  the  hills  is  ex- 
changed for  the  wilting  heat  of  the  valley  under  a 
emiting  sun.  The  whole  descent  of  the  bank  must  be 
a  mile  and  a  half,  though  it  appeared  far  less.  We 
pass  various  trees,  prominent  among  which  is  the  trop- 
ical thorn,  with  a  sprinkling  of  oleanders,  and  near 


344:  CITY    OF   TIBERIAS — HOT   SPRINGS. 

Tiberias  we  find  several  specimens  of  the  graceful 
palm.  The  city  has  a  dilapidated  and  shrunk  ap- 
pearance. Its  walls  are  broken  down  here  and  there, 
having  never  been  repaired  since  the  great  earth- 
quake in  183T.  Its  present  inhabitants,  about  two 
thousand  in  number  and  half  of  them  Jews,  have  a 
pale  and  sickly  appearance.  According  to  Joseplms 
the  city  was  founded  by  Herod,  the  murderer  of  John 
the  Baptist,  and  named  after  the  Roman  Emperor 
Tiberius.  It  is  but  once  mentioned  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. It  became  the  capital  of  Galilee,  and  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  was  the  chief  residence 
and  metropolis  of  the  Jews  in  Palestine  for  a  long 
time.  Many  a  learned  rabbi — among  them  the  great 
Maimonides — was  buried  in  the  tombs  in  the  hillside 
back  of  the  city.  As  I  was  returning  from  the  Hot 
Springs,  which  are  about  a  mile  south  of  Tiberias,  I 
met  a  funeral  procession.  The  corpse  was  wrapped 
in  cloths  and  borne  on  a  rude  bier  and  the  wailing 
mourners  followed.  Those  mineral  springs,  by  the 
way,  are  remarkable.  They  are  quite  near  the  lake, 
and  a  little  cluster  of  buildings  covers  them.  The 
water  issues  almost  boiling  hot  from  the  base  of  vol- 
canic hills.  A  large  circular  tank,  capable  of  accom- 
madating  several  bathers  at  once,  is  frequently  re- 
sorted to  by  those  afflicted  with  rheumatism  and  sirn- 
iliar  complaints.  It  was  the  hottest  bath  I  ever  took. 
This  is  supposed  to  be  the  site  of  Hammath,  a  town 
of  Naphtali,  mentioned  by  Joshua. 


XXX. 

of  §mtmti—  dDamtaum—  $w  0f 


OUB  tents  were  pitched  just  north  of  Tiberias,  near  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  After  a  little  rest,  several  of  us 
made  a  most  deeply  interesting  excursion  along  the 
hallowed  margin  of  this  lovely  sea,  and  almost  to  its 
northern  extremity,  amidst  localities  associated  at 
every  step  with  the  ministries  of  our  glorious  Re- 
deemer. There  is  a  good  bridle-path  near  the  water's 
edge  ;  for  the  banks,  though  high  and  mountainous 
with  here  and  there  depressions  and  grassy  slopes 
amid  the  rocky  cliffs,  do  not  pitch  abruptly  into  the 
lake,  but  leave  a  beach  of  more  or  less  width  all  round 
it.  This  rendered  it  convenient  for  its  ancient  purpose 
of  fisheries  and  for  landing  at  any  part  of  it.  Smooth 
pebbles  of  different  colors  and  sometimes  shells  line 
the  shore.  The  water  is  exceedingly  transparent, 
deep  and  sweet.  We  saw  an  abundance  of  fishes, 
some  of  large  size,  and  a  solitary  fisherman,  angling 
from  a  rock,  reminding  us  of  some  of  the  scenes  and 
miracles  in  our  Saviour's  history. 

Three  or  four  miles  brought  us  to  a  very  interesting 
spot  near  the  center  of  the  western  shore  and  widest 
part  of  the  lake.  It  is  also  at  the  southern  border  of 
the  rich  and  beautiful  plain  of  Gennesareth,  to  form 
which  the  high  bank  for  a  few  miles  gives  way.  Here 

15* 


346  MAGDALA — LAND    OF    GENNESAKET. 

we  reach  a  little  village  containing  about  twenty 
houses  and  a  mined  tower.  It  is  Mejdel,  or  Magdala, 
the  home  of  Mary  Magdalene.  It  is  now  the  only 
village  on  the  plain  once  so  thickly  peopled.  It  clings 
to  the  bank  that  rises  high  above  it,  and  thence  looks 
out  upon  the  lovely  lake  and  over  the  blooming  plain, 
while  it  touches  the  margins  of  both.  A  large  thorn- 
tree  stands  near  it,  and  a  clear  stream  sweeps  by  it 
into  the  sea  amidst  a  thicket  of  willows.  It  flows  down 
from  a  deep  ravine,  looking  up  which  we  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes.  Two  other 
ravines  open  on  the  plain  through  its  western  barrier 
of  green  swelling  hills  slightly  broken  by  rocky  crests. 
This  plain  of  Gennesareth  is  a  sacred  spot.  At  its 
northern  margin  Dr.  Robinson  locates  Capernaum, 
the  home  of  Jesus.  But  Dr.  Thomson  places  it  at 
Tell  Hum,  a  little  farther  up  the  lake,  where  it  proba- 
bly was.  This  plain  is  crescent-shaped,  three  or  four 
miles  in  length,  and  about  half  as  wide.  We  noted,  in 
passing,  its  luxuriant  richness,  its  fine  fields  of  wheat, 
and  barley,  its  rank  grass,  mustard,  weeds,  and  this- 
tles. Josephus  described  it  as  an  earthly  paradise, 
where  perpetual  spring  reigned,  and  the  choicest 
fruits  abounded.  Its  fertility  is  still  wonderful.  Olean- 
ders and  thorn-trees  fringe  the  shore,  and  amid  the 
thickets  back  of  these,  we  observe  here  and  there 
clusters  of  small  palm.  Quails,  turtle-doves,  and  other 
birds  of  gay  plumage  and  musical  notes,  are  abun- 
dant. Fine  streams  come  flowing  through  it  into  the 
sea.  Along  this  shore  our  Saviour  and  His  disciples 
were  often  found.  Here  He  uttered  parables.  Here 
He  wrought  miracles.  Here  perhaps  the  sons  of  Zeb- 


CHINNEKETH.  347 

edee  were  found  mending  their  nets  where  one  of  these 
clear  brooks  empties  itself  into  the  lake.  Probably  in 
the  mouth  of  the  stream  lay  the  little  ships  on  which 
Jesus  addressed  the  crowds  standing  about  Him  on 
the  land.  How  often  He  and  His  disciples  came  to 
this  shore  or  departed  from  it,  crossing  the  lake.  Not 
far  from  here  He  walked  upon  the  water,  and  they 
heard  his  voice,  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  O  how 
much  there  is  here  to  remind  one  of  His  presence  and 
words  !  Many  of  the  things  He  alluded  to  in  the  par- 
ables are  here  still.  The  sower,  the  wayside,  the  thorns, 
the  stony  places,  the  tropical  heat,  the  good  ground 
are  all  here  to  repeat  His  solemn  truths.  The  clear, 
beautiful  lake  exists  as  of  old  in  its  rugged  frame  of 
hills.  Tempests  sweep  dowrn  upon  it  now  through 
the  ravines,  and  suddenly  transform  its  tranquil  sur- 
face into  raging  billows,  as  when  He  said,  "  Peace,  be 
be  still." 

We  find  a  few  old  ruins  at  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  plain.  They  may  be  the  remains  of  ancient 
Chinnereth,  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, as  is  the  "  sea  of  Chinnereth,"  from  which  the 
plain  and  sea  of  Gennesareth  derived  their  name. 
The  bank  now  becomes  abrupt  and  rocky,  and  our 
path,  bending  somewhat  eastward  as  it  follows  the 
line  of  the  shore,  passes  over  the  edge  of  a  cliff 
through  which  the  road  is  cut  in  the  rock.  In  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  we  come  to  a  pebbly  strand  and  a 
little  bay,  with  an  abundance  of  water  flowing  down 
from  the  hills.  Aqueducts,  pools  and  fountains  are 
around  us.  And  here  is  an  old  building  that  has  been 
used  for  a  mill.  Here  we  obtain  a  complete  view  of 


34:8  BETHSAIDA — CAPEBNAUM. 

the  lake.  The  eye  follows  the  line  of  the  shore  en- 
tirely around.  Here  we  sit  down  in  admiration  of  the 
beautiful  view,  and  absorbed  with  the  sacred  and 
thrilling  associations  that  throng  upon  the  mind.  Ta- 
biga  is  the  modern  name  of  this  spot,  and  some  regard 
it  as  the  site  of  Eethsaida — "  House  of  Fisheries" — the 
home  of  several  of  our  Lord's  disciples.  But  if  there 
was  a  Bethsaida  here,  there  was  certainly  another  at 
the  head  of  the  Lake,  just  over  the  Jordan ;  and  it  is 
not  likely  there  would  be  two  towrs  of  the  same  name 
so  near  together.  There  are  some  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, however,  that  indicate  a  Bethsaida  of  Galilee 
and  another  on  the  eastern  side,  near  the  place  of 
feeding  the  five  thousand.  Bat  instead  of  a  necessity 
for  two,  as  some  have  supposed,  the  existence  of  one, 
occupying  both  sides  of  the  Jordan,  meets  all  that  the 
Gospel  narratives  demand. 

This  spot — Tabiga — was  perhaps  a  suburb  of  Caper- 
naum, the  site  of  which  is  probably  marked  by  a  few 
old  ruins,  fo  be  found  a  little  further  along  the  shore, 
and  called  Tell  Hum.  Dr.  Thomson  thinks  this  great 
fountain  was  the  fountain  of  Capernaum.  Here  we 
were,  as  I  believe,  just  in  the  border  of  one  of  the 
most  interesting  places  on  earth — the  home  of  our 
blessed  Saviour — and,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  I  was 
exceedingly  anxious  to  go  on  to  Tell  Hum.  But  some 
of  our  party,  being  very  weary  and  much  oppressed 
by  the  heat,  would  consent  to  go  no  further,  and 
desired  to  return  at  once  to  our  tents  at  Tiberias.  In 
another  hour  we  might  have  reached  the  head  of  the 
lake;  but  it  would  hardly  have  been  safe  for  one  or 
two  to  venture  without  other  protection  ;  so  with  great 


HOME    OF    .IKS US.  349 

reluctance  I  was  obliged  to  stop  at  the  border  of  Ca- 
pernaum. But  it  was  interesting  to  come  even  to  the 
suburbs  of  such  a  place — to  touch  as  it  were  the  hem 
of  the  robe  that  enclosed  the  earthly  home  of  Jesus — 
a  home  from  which  Pie  often  went  out  on  His  mission 
of  love,  mercy  and  salvation  ;  going  over  the  region 
of  Galilee,  into  its  cities  and  villages,  teaching  and 
healing,  and  enfolding  the  kingdom  of  God ;  extend- 
ing His  journeys  down  to  Judea  and  the  Jordan  val- 
ley, and  once  at  least  over  to  the  sea-coast  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon.  How  often  He  came  back  here,  worn  and 
weary,  to  rest.  How  often  He  walked  along  this  shore, 
where  He  called  His  disciples  to  be  "  fishers  of  men," 
where  so  many  of  His  gracious  words  were  spoken, 
and  where  such  mighty  works  were  made  manifest. 
Across  this  sea  He  often  sailed,  and  every  wave  on  its 
surface,  and  every  pebble  and  rock  by  its  shore,  seems 
a  precious  memento  of  Him.  And  how  many  of  His 
.marvelous  works  were  wrought  here  at  Capernaum, 
which  was  thus  "exalted  to  heaven,"  but  for  the  guilt 
of  its  amazing  unbelief  was  "brought  down  to  hell." 

This  home  of  our  Lord,  at  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  was 
fitly  chosen  for  the  great  and  blessed  work  of  His 
ministry.  lie  came  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor, 
to  call  the  heavy  laden,  and  to  seek  and  save  the  lost. 
And  no  spot  furnished  better  facilities  than  the  popu- 
lous cities  and  villages  and  thronged  shores  of  this 
beautiful  lake.  Situated  in  the  midst  of  the  Jordan 
valley,  on  the  great  thoroughfare  from  Babylon  and 
Damascus  into  Palestine,  its  waters  were  a  central 
point  of  passing  and  gathering,  by  "  the  way  of  the 
sea,"  "beyond  Jordan,"  of  "  Zebulon  and  JSTaphtali." 


350  A    CENTER    OF    POPULATION    AND    TRAFFIC. 

Depressed  to  such  a  depth — six  hundred  feet  below 
the  Mediterranean  Sea — its  shores  have  almost  a  trop- 
ical fertility,  denied  to  the  bordering  uplands,  and  in- 
creased by  the  beautiful  and  abundant  springs  along 
the  western  coast.  In  this  respect  there  is  a  marked 
contrast  between  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  that  dismal 
lake  into  which  the  Jordan  flows  and  is  absorbed.  If, 
as  Mr.  Stanley  well  observes,  the  southern  lake  is  the 
Sea  of  Death,  the  northern  is  emphatically  the  Sea  of 
Life — life  in  its  waters  and  on  its  banks,  and  in  the 
time  of  our  Lord  a  center  of  population  and  traffic. 
The  villages  "  sent  forth  their  fishermen  by  hundreds 
over  the  lake  ;  and  when  we  add  the  crowd  of  ship- 
builders, the  many  boats  of  traffic,  pleasure  and  pas- 
sage, we  see  that  the  whole  basin  must  have  been  a 
focus  of  life  and  energy,  the  surface  of  the  lake  con- 
stantly dotted  with  the  white  sails  of  vessels  flying  be- 
fore the  mountain  gusts,  as  the  beach  sparkled  with 
the  houses  and  palaces,  the  synagogues  and  the  tem- 
ples of  the  Jewish  or  Roman  inhabitants."  It  was  no 
secluded  spot  that  our  Saviour  sought  for  His  home — 
no  hermit-life  that  He  lived.  Nowhere  except  in  Jeru- 
salem could  He  have  found  such  a  sphere  for  His 
labors.  Readily  from  this  center  "  His  fame  went 
throughout  all  Syria  ;"  vast  multitudes  were  attracted 
by  his  teaching  and  miracles,  "  from  Galilee,  and  from 
Decapolis,  and  from  Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan," 
and  "  ran  through  the  whole  region  round  about," 
bringing  the  diseased  in  beds,  u  where  they  heard  He 
was  ;  and  whithersoever  He  entered  into  villages,  or 
cities,  or  country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  streets,  and  be- 
sought Him  that  they  might  touch  if  it  were  but  the 


BACK   TO   THE   TENTS.  351 

border  of  His  garment."  Such  was  the  home  of 
Christ  with  its  surroundings,  its  scenes  and  "images 
which  could  occur  nowhere  else  in  Palestine  but 
on  this  one  spot,  and  which  from  that  one  spot  have 
now  passed  into  the  religious  language  of  the  civilized 
world."  O  what  an  undying  interest  clusters  around 
the  Sea  of  Galilee !  As  we  retraced  our  steps,  I 
paused  at  Magdala  for  a  refreshing  bath  in  the  clear 
waters  of  the  lake. 

It  was  now  Saturday  evening.  The  last  two  Sundays 
we  had  been  in  Jerusalem,  so  intimately  associated,  with 
our  Lord's  sufferings,  death,  and  resurrection  ;  and  it 
was  peculiarly  pleasant  to  think  of  passing  the  next 
here,  by  this  beautiful  lake,  the  scene  of  so  much  of 
our  Saviour's  life,  teaching,  and  miracles.  After  the 
fatigue  and  heat  of  the  day  it  was  exceedingly  grate- 
ful to  sit  down  by  our  tents,  or  walk  by  the  pebbly 
margin  of  the  sea.  The  shadows  of  the  high  bank 
were  thrown  over  us ;  the  golden  sunlight  was  fading 
from  the  eastern  hills  ;  and  trees  and  rocks  along  the 
shore  were  mirrored  in  the  calm,  crystal  waters.  The 
crescent  moon  was  hid  behind  the  western  bank,  but 
might  have  been  seen  from  its  top,  lingering  over 
Mount  Tabor.  Soon  the  stars  came  out  and  flashed 
over  the  sea,  the  same  as  when  the  Holy  Redeemer 
wandered  by  this  shore,  or  sailed  over  the  surface  ot 
the  deep.  It  was  by  this  lake  that  He  said  to  the 
weary,  "  Come  unto  Me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 
In  our  tents  we  come  to  Him,  commit  ourselves  to  His 
loving  protection,  and  sleep  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
where  He  so  often  slept. 

The  first  sound  in  the  morning  was  the  loud  roaring 


352         SUNDAY  AT  THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE. 

of  the  billows  and  breakers  on  the  shore.  A  sudden 
change  had  come  over  the  lake.  So  tranquil  and 
serene  at  evening,  now  its  whole  surface  was  broken 
up  into  foam-crested  waves.  How  vividly  did  this 
remind  me  of  a  thrilling  scene  in  our  Lord's  experi- 
ence when,  as  He  was  passing  over  in  a  boat  with  his 
disciples,  a  sudden  tempest  came  down  upon  the  sea — 
the  wind  rushing  through  some  of  the  ravines — and 
tossed  it  into  boisterous  billows,  which  He  when 
awaked,  calmed  by  the  word  of  His  power. 

A  Sabbath  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  !  What  a  blessed 
privilege !  It  was  the  first  day  of  April,  and  the 
morning  was  bright  and  warm.  After  breakfast  our 
party  gathered  for  a  religious  service  under  the  sha- 
dow of  an  old  high  wall,  with  the  green  grass  and 
sweet  flowers  beneath  our  feet,  and  the  open  heavens 
above  our  heads.  We  thought  of  home,  and  of  the 
sanctuaries  where  we  were  wont  to  worship.  We 
thought  also  of  the  crowds  that  once  gathered  around 
the  Great  Teacher  at  the  shore  of  this  sea,  and  we 
could  only  echo  His  instructions.  We  sang  that  dear 
hymn  commencing,  "  How  sweetly  flowed  the  gospel 
sound."  Several  passages  from  the  New  Testament 
were  read,  all  relating  to  incidents  in  the  life  of  Jesus 
by  or  on  this  lake.  After  prayer,  another  hymn  was 
sung,  in  which  were  the  lines — 

"  The  voice  that  stilled  the  stormy  waves 
On  distant  Galilee." 

Rev.  Mr.  Jenkins  spoke  from  the  words  of  Jesus,  first 
uttered  here  in  calling  His  disciples:  "Follow  me." 
Another  minister  alluded  to  the  associations  of  the 


LAST    VIEW   OF   THE   LAKE.  353 

place,  pointing  to  the  localities  in  view  where  this 
and  that  event  in  the  life  of  our  Saviour  transpired, 
and  where  this  parable  was  uttered  and  that  miracle 
was  wrought.  So  we  could  bring  the  scenes  before 
us,  and  almost  seem  to  be  in  the  literal  presence  of 
Jesus.  Appropriate  remarks  were  also  made  by  the 
three  other  ministers  of  our  party,  and  we  sang  again — 

"  Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 
All  to  leave  and  follow  Thee." 

It  was  a  most  hallowed,  precious  season,  and  like  those 
we  enjoyed  in  Jerusalem  and  the  Garden  of  Gethsem- 
ane,  deeply  impressive,  spiritually  profitable,  and  long 
to  be  remembered.  For  dinner  we  had  broiled  fish 
from  the  lake,  reminding  us  of  our  Saviour's  "show- 
ing Himself  to  the  disciples  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias," 
after  His  resurrection,  when  He  called  to  them  from 
the  shore:  "Children,  have  ye  any  meat?"  And  "as 
they  were  come  to  land,  they  saw  a  fire  of  coals  there, 
and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread."  Then,  after  "  they 
had  dined,"  Jesus  thrice  put  the  question  to  Simon 
Peter,  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?"  In  the  cool  of  the  evening 
we  sat  clown  in  front  of  our  tents  and  talked  and  san^ 

O 

hymns  till  a  late  hour. 

The  next  morning,  about  seven  o'clock,  we  left 
Tiberias  for  Nazareth.  Up  the  long  slope  we  filed 
away,  and  soon  reached  the  top  of  the  high  western 
bank.  Here  we  paused  and  turned  about  for  a  last 
look  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  nearly  all  of  which,  with 
its  shores,  was  visible.  With  my  glass  I  surveyed 
each  spot  again  with  the  deepest  interest.  Delightful 
view  !  Farewell,  lovely  Lake  of  Gennesareth !  Thy 


354:  THE    SEA    OF   GALILEE. 

picture,  with  its  wonderful  associations,  remains  in  its 
perfection,  and  can  never  fade !  !N"o,  I  can  never  for- 
get 

THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE. 

Dear,  beautiful  sight !     Embosomed  by  hills, 

How  calmly  reposes  the  Lake  ! 
I  gaze,  and  my  soul  with  rapture  thrills, 
As  the  glorious  scene  my  vision  fills, 
And  holiest  memories  wake. 
0  lovely  Sea 
Of  Galilee, 
How  oft  my  Kedeeiner  hath  looked  on  thee  ! 

All  other  lakes  in  all  lands  are  denied 
The  honors  that  thou  dost  know  : 
Blossoms  as  radiant  may  fringe  their  side, 
Fountains  as  sparkling  may  swell  their  tide, 
But  thou  hast  the  Jordan's  inflow ; 
More  sacred  yet, 
Gennesaret, 
The  sandals  of  Christ  thy  waves  have  wet ! 

How  oft  I  have  come,  in  wondering  thought, 

A  pilgrim  along  thy  shore, 
Beholding  the  crowds  that  Jesus  taught, 
And  the  deeds  His  power  and  mercy  wrought, 
As  He  walked  thy  margin  o'er. 
0  hallowed  Sea 
Of  Galilee, 
The  home  of  Messiah  was  once  by  thee  ! 

And  now,  with  thankfullest  heart,  I  stand 

Where  Jesus  so  often  stood ; 
I  see  the  same  stream,  and  rock,  and  land ; 
The  same  sweet  Tabor,  and  Hermon  grand; 


THE   SEA   OF   GALILEE.  355 

And  look  on  the  same  bright  flood — 
Tiberian  Sea, 
So  dear  to  me, 
Because  my  Saviour  saw  these  and  thee  ! 

My  feet  have  pressed  the  old  paths  He  trod, 

And  crossed  o'er  the  same  clear  rills; 
I  have  sat  me  down  on  the  grassy  sod, 
Where  rested  the  weary  Son  of  God, 
Who  bore  our  sorrows  and  ills. 
In  thee  I  take, 
Gennesareth  Lake, 
Unbounded  delight  for  His  dear  sake  ! 

Nazareth's  valley  and  hills  are  fair, 

And  lovely  is  Bethlehem  j 
Mount  Olivet's  scenes  their  glories  share, 
In  the  Garden  shade  and  Bethany  there, 
With  precious  Jerusalem : 
But,  dearest  Sea 
Of  Galilee, 
How  the  life  of  my  Lord  is  linked  with  thee  ! 

No  crowds  along  thy  thoroughfares  pour  j 

Silence  and  ruin  are  here  to-day ; 
White  sails  on  thy  waves  are  seen  no  more ; 
The  cities  that  flourished  upon  thy  shore 
Have  passed  in  their  guilt  away : 
But  thou  art  yet, 
Gennesaret, 
A  picture  unchanged  in  thy  hill  frame  set ! 

And  Christ  is  the  same,  though  ascended  on  high, 

As  when  by  this  water  He  trod; 
With  the  same  tender  heart,  and  pitying  eye ; 


356  THE    SEA    OF   GALILEE. 

As  mighty  to  save,  as  lovingly  nigli — 
0  ever  the  same  Lamb  of  God  ! 
Adieu,  sweet  Sea 
Of  Galilee; 
Thy  image  remains,  and  thy  Lord,  with  me ! 


CAPERAUM    AND    SEA    OF    G  VLILEE. 


XXXI. 

0f 


FKOM  the  Sea  of  Galilee  our  course  is  westward  over 
a  rich  upland  plain.  Amidst  luxuriant  patches  of 
wheat,  grass,  weeds,  and  flowers,  we  soon  come  near 
the  southern  base  of  a  hill  that  rises  gradually  from 
the  plain  and  culminates  in  a  crest  of  two  summits, 
whence  its  modern  name,  the  Horns  of  Hattin,  is  de- 
rived ;  Hattin  being  the  name  of  a  village  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill.  This  is  the  traditional  Mount  of  Beati- 
tudes, the  supposed  place  where  our  Saviour  preached 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  It  is  well  situated  for  such 
an  occasion,  and  there  are  good  reasons  for  believing 
that  tradition  in  this  instance  is  correct.  As  our  Lord 
came  here,  "  there  followed  him  great  multitudes  of 
people  from  Galilee,"  the  surrounding  region  ;  "  and 
from  Decapolis,"  the  ten  cities  near  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  lake  ;  "  and  from  Jerusalem  and  Judea," 
still  further  south  ;  "  and  from  beyond  Jordan,"  the 
country  east  of  the  river  and  lake.  Here  would  be  a 
natural  center  or  converging  of  thoroughfares,  along 
which  to  this  point,  the  fame  of  Jesus  would  attract 
the  thronging  crowds.  "And  seeing  the  multitudes 
He  went  up  into  a  mountain."  Perhaps  he  ascended 
this  southern  slope  upon  which  I  look,  and  sat  down 
by  the  level  spot  or  hollow  between  the  two  peaks, 


358  SEKMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 

which  would  be  going  literally  "  into  a  mountain," 
where  the  crowds  might  gather  around  and  easily  see 
and  hear  him.  Such  a  Preacher,  such  an  audience, 
such  a  Sermon  ! — well  might  the  sanctuary  he  no  tem- 
ple made4  with  hands ;  its  floor  the  solid  earth,  its  pul- 
pit a  rock,  its  pillars  those  of  nature,  its  windows  the 
sun-beams,  its  roof  and  dome  the  overarching  heavens. 
On  the  east,  down  the  vale,  lay  the  clear  waters  of 
Gennesaret;  south  and  southwest  were  Little  Her- 
mon  and  Tabor;  west  were  the  hills  of  Nazareth;  and 
north  the  lower  ranges  of  Lebanon.  How  sublime  the 
scene  !  the  Creator  preaching  in  His  own  vast  temple  ! 

The  Discourse  itself  furnishes  evidences  of  its  being 
spoken  here.  The  "  city  set  on  an  hill,"  may  be  Safed, 
in  full  view  at  the  northwest  on  one  of  the  highest 
mountains  in  Galilee.  "  The  lilies  of  the  field,"  com- 
mon in  Palestine,  are  very  abundant  here.  Elsewhere 
I  had  noticed  that  they  were  always  red,  but  here  they 
were  of  various  shades — red,  pink,  purple,  and  white — 
lovely  objects  to  "  consider."  Here  too  are  fields  of 
"  grass,"  which  God  clothes  with  verdure  and  various 
tints  of  beauty.  "  The  fowls  of  the  air  "  still  fly  past 
here  from  the  little  plain  of  Gennesareth  near  by, 
where  are  found  an  unusual  number  and  variety  of 
birds  of  musical  notes  and  gay  plumage.  How  vividly 
do  these  things  remind  us  of  the  reality  as  well  as  the 
place  of  the  original  scene  ! 

The  bloody  battle  of  Hattin  was  fought  here,  July 
5,  1187.  It  decided  the  fate  of  the  Crusades.  The 
Christians,  with  the  king  of  Jerusalem  at  their  head, 
were  overpowered  by  the  hordes  of  Moslems,  under 
Saladin ;  and  "  one  more  added  to  the  long  list  of  the 


BATTLE    OF    HATTIN — CAN  A.  359 

battles  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon — the  last  struggle  of 
the  Crusaders,  in  which  all  was  staked  in  the  presence 
of  the  holiest  scenes  of  Christianity,  and  all  miserably 
lost." 

"We  journey  westward  among  the  young  wheat, 
which  promises  a  fine  harvest,  and  amid  grassy  up- 
lands which  afford  inviting  pasture-grounds  to  the  wan- 
dering Bedawin.  Leaving  the  plain,  we  enter  the 
outer  circle  of  hills  among  which  is  nestled  the  charm- 
ing village  of  Nazareth,  now  distant  about  six  miles. 
A  half  hour's  further  ride  amidst  rocks  and  tangled 
shrubbery,  and  we  descend  into  a  basin  among  the 
hills,  where  we  find  the  little  village  of  Cana,  which 
tradition  makes  the  scene  of  the  marriage  attended  by 
the  miracle  of  the  water  changed  to  wine.  There  is 
another  village,  which  I  saw  a  little  north  of  Naza- 
reth, also  called  Cana,  and  which  some  regard  as 
claiming  the  honor  which  the  natives  still  say  belongs 
to  this  Cana,  where  we  have  now  arrived.  It  is  a 
small  village,  and  most  of  its  houses  have  a  neglected 
and  half-ruined  appearance.  But  the  surrounding 
basin  or  vale  is  well  filled  with  pomegranate,  fig,  and 
olive-trees — some  of  which  are  very  old  and  venera- 
ble— a  variety  which  gives  picturesqueness  if  not 
beauty  to  the  village.  While  passing  through  it,  we 
were  pointed  to  a  rude,  dilapidated  building  called  a 
Greek  church,  occupying  the  site  of  the  house  where 
the  marriage  festival  was  held  and  the  miracle  wrought. 
As  we  were  about  leaving,  a  priest  appeared  with  a 
bunch  of  keys  to  show  us  the  interior,  and  a  few  re- 
mains of  the  identical  water  pots  used  at  the  wedding. 
But  we  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  dismount  and 


360  THE    FOUNTAIN    IN   CANA. 

look  at  the  relics.  "We  passed  on  a  few  rods  and  came 
to  a  fine  large  fountain,  making  quite  a  stream  as  it 
flowed  away.  Around  it  were  gathered  a  considera- 
ble group  of  women  and  girls,  appearing  gay  and 
cheerful,  some  filling  their  jars,  and  others  washing 
and  beating  out  clothes  with  clubs.  Little  boys  gath- 
ered about  us,  anxious  to  earn  a  few  paras  by  holding 
our  horses.  It  was  now  mid-day,  and  we  stopped  for 
lunch  under  a  grove  of  pomegranates.  Our  leathern 
bottles  were  filled  with  fresh  pure  water  from  the 
fountain — the  same  fountain  if  this  be  the  true  Cana — 
from  which  the  water-pots  were  filled  by  the  order  of 
our  blessed  Lord,  when  He  was  about  to  work  the 
first  of  those  stupendous  miracles  that  illustrated  His 
public  ministry.  His  mother  and  His  disciples  were 
here  to  witness  this  work  that  "  manifested  forth  His 
glory,"  and  confirmed  their  faith.  There  is  no  other 
supply  of  water  near  the  village,  and  it  was  deeply 
interesting  to  see  and  drink  of  this  fountain,  so  sacred 
in  its  associations.  Nathanael,  the  guileless  Israelite, 
belonged  in  Cana,  and  our  Saviour  was  here  when  He 
healed  the  nobleman's  son  at  the  point  of  death  in 
Capernaum. 

We  resumed  our  journey  before  two  o'clock,  and 
leaving  the  vale  of  Cana,  we  ascended  a  rocky  slope, 
and  going  over  the  other  side,  soon  reached  a  little 
village  situated  on  the  border  of  a  fertile  valley.  At 
some  distance  to  the  right  is  Sefurieh,  a  town  promi- 
nently in  view,  whose  old  castle  crowns  a  high  emi- 
nence. Nazareth  is  not  seen  till  we  get  close  to  its 
borders ;  but  we  are  now  climbing  the  high  hill  that 
immediately  shelters  it  on  the  north-east.  We  reach 


SKIN  BOTTLES  AND  WATER-JABS. 


VALE  OF  NAZARETH.  361 

its  summit,  and  in  descending  its  steep  rocky  slope, 
Nazareth  opens  upon  us  like  a  beautiful  picture  in  its 
frame  of  hills.  This  moment  and  this  vision  are 
among  those  never  to  be  forgotten.  We  have  now 
seen  all  the  Holy  Places  associated  so  intimately  and 
wondrously  with  the  birth,  life,  ministry,  and  death  of 
our  Divine  Redeemer.  Silently,  joyously,  and  tear- 
fully we  enter  the  sweet  and  blooming  vale,  and  come 
to  our  tents,  which  are  pitched  near  a  beautiful  crys- 
tal fountain  in  the  margin  of  the  town.  We  wandered 
over  this  small  fertile  valley,  shut  in  by  green  hills  of 
wavy  outline,  and  abounding  in  flowery  lawns,  thrifty 
corn-fields,  and  little  gardens  hedged  around  by  cactus, 
and  shaded  here  and  there  by  solitary  or  clustering 
trees  of  olive  and  fig.  The  chief  part  of  the  village 
clings  to  the  south-western  side  of  the  valley,  the  hill 
rising  to  the  north-west  of  it  about  five  hundred  feet. 
This  is  "  the  hill  on  which  the  city  is  built,"  as  stated 
by  Luke,  to  the  "  brow  "  of  which  the  angry  multitude 
led  Jesus  from  the  Synagogue,  "  that  they  might  cast 
him  down  headlong."  I  noticed  on  the  steep  declivity 
above  the  village,  precipitous  ridges  of  rock,  down 
which  if  one  were  cast,  it  would  almost  inevitably 
produce  death. 

Nazareth  has  a  population  of  nearly  four  thousand, 
most  of  whom  are  Greek  and  Latin  Christians,  the 
Franciscan  Convent  being  the  most  conspicuous  build- 
ing in  the  place.  There  is  a  small  Maronite  church, 
and  also  a  mosque  with  a  fine  white  minaret.  The 
town  is  one  of  the  most  thriving  in  all  Galilee.  The 
houses  are  of  stone,  and  have  a  neat  and  substantial 
look.  The  roofs  are  flat  as  is  usual.  The  narrow 

16 


362  CHUKCH   «F  THE   ANNUNCIATION. 

streets  abound  in  filth,  comprising  dunghills,  cesspools, 
and  dead  animals.  The  people  generally  have  a  good 
appearance.  The  men  look  nobler,  the  women  are 
fairer,  and  all  dress  better  than  in  any  other  place  I 
remember  to  have  seen  in  the  land. 

We  visited  the  Latin  Convent  and  Church  of  the 
Annunciation.  They  consist  of  a  square  of  heavy 
buildings  encompassed  by  a  high  wall.  Some  old 
columns  of  red  granite  lie  near  the  large  gate,  admit- 
ting us  to  an  open  court  around  which  are  school- 
rooms, a  pharmacy,  and  other  apartments.  The  church 
is  ample,  and  adorned  with  various  paintings  and  ta- 
pestries representing  Scripture  scenes.  The  chanting 
of  the  monks  and  the  fine  organ  remind  us  of  the 
churches  in  Italy.  From  the  audience  room  we  go 
down  a  stairway  of  fifteen  steps  to  a  grotto  which  is 
the  sanctum  of  the  place.  Here  are  marble  walls,  col- 
umns, altars,  pavements,  beautiful  silver  lamps,  and 
a  fine  modern  painting  of  the  Annunciation,  the  gift 
of  some  European  monarch.  The  altar  and  the  mar- 
ble slab  beneath,  with  a  cross  in  the  center,  are  said 
to  mark  the  spot  where  Mary  stood  when  she  heard 
the  salutation  of  the  angel  Gabriel.  Passing  through 
another  part  of  the  grotto,  left  in  its  natural  rocky 
state,  we  ascend  a  narrow  staircase  to  a  rude  cave 
called  "Mary's  kitchen,"  where  we  are  shown  among 
other  details  the  chimney  and  fire-place.  "We  are 
next  conducted  across  the  village  to  the  work-house 
of  Joseph.  The  interior  of  the  modern  building,  con- 
secrated 2S  a  chapel,  is  said  to  contain  a  fragment  of 
an  old  wall  that  belonged  to  the  original  work-shop. 
An  indifferent  painting  of  Joseph  at  work,  assisted 


FOUNTAIN   OF  THE   VIRGIN — GIELS.  363 

by  the  youthful  Jesus,  hangs  over  the  altar.  It  was 
presented  by  a  noble  lady  of  Florence,  and  bears  her 
name  and  coat  of  arms.  We  are  then  directed  to  ano- 
ther part  of  the  town,  and  shown  the  Chapel  of  the 
Mensa  Ckristi,  or  Table  of  Christ.  It  is  a  small 
vaulted  chamber,  and  contains  a  stone  slab  from  which, 
according  to  tradition,  our  Lord  and  His  disciples 
often  ate. 

After  visiting  the  Eev.  Mr.  Lundy,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  his  party,  encamped  in  a  grove  at  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  and  who  were  traveling  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Egyptian  dragoman  Achmet,  who  took  us 
up  the  Nile,  we  returned  to  the  "  Fountain  of  the  Vir- 
gin," near  our  tents.  Here  a  lively  scene  is  presented. 
A  large  number  of  small  and  full-grown  girls  are 
gathered  around  this  crystal  spring,  while  some  are 
continually  coming  with  their  empty  pitchers  and  jars, 
and  others  are  going  away  with  theirs  filled.  They 
all  seem  to  be  in  a  pleasant,  happy  mood  ;  for  their 
merry  laugh  rings  out  on  the  air.  Some  of  them  are 
quite  beautiful.  There  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that 
to  this  very  fountain  the  Virgin  Mary  was  accustomed 
to  come  and  fill  her  pitcher,  after  the  manner  of  her 
country-women,  and  as  these  Nazareth  girls  do  now ; 
and  she  might  have  given  of  the  water  she  had  drawn 
to  the  passing  stranger,  as  they  do  to  us.  To  this 
fountain  too  the  youthful  Jesus  must  often  have  come 
to  drink,  as  others  come  to-day.  It  must  be  the  same 
spring  from  which  Nazareth  was  then  supplied,  for 
there  is  no  other  in  the  place.  One  of  the  earliest 
local  traditions  makes  this  fountain  the  scene  of  the 


364:  EVENING   IN   NAZARETH. 

angelic  salutation  to  Mary,  as  she  had  come  hither  to 
draw  water. 

The  sun  was  already  behind  the  high  hill  guarding 
Nazareth  on  the  west,  when  we  gathered  around  the 
dinner-table  in  front  of  our  tents.  At  length  the  vale 
was  filled  with  the  evening  shadows,  and  the  stars 
looked  down  upon  us  lovingly.  The  heavenly  orbs, 
always  interesting,  suggestive  and  glorious,  one  sur- 
veys in  a  foreign  land  with  emotions  he  can  never 
feel  at  home.  They  powerfully  remind  him  of  home — 
of  those  whose  eyes  may  now  see  them,  of  friends  who 
once  looked  upon  them,  but  have  passed  beyond  them. 
When  in  places  of  historic  and  sacred  memories,  the 
stars  bring  the  distant  near ;  for  you  are  looking  upon 
the  same  serene  and  sublime  heavens — the  same  con- 
stellations— the  same  bright  gems  —  that  those  re- 
nowned and  glorious  men  looked  upon  from  the  same 
locality ;  and  the  vision  is  the  same  now  that  it  was 
then.  You  seem  to  be  near  to  those  heretofore  so  far 
separated  in  distance  and  time.  I  look  from  the  tent- 
door  at  Nazareth  around  upon  these  encircling  hills, 
and  up  from  their  shadowy  outlines,  to  the  beautiful 
skies,  and  I  know  that  from  this  spot  at  the  same  hour 
of  evening  our  blessed  Saviour  looked,  how  often ! 
upon  these  clustering  summits,  remaining  as  of  old, 
and  up  to  these  bending  heavens,  bright  in  their  un- 
changed diadem  of  glory.  What  were  His  emotions 
when  He  surveyed  these  scenes  ?  O  thou  Almighty 
Creator  of  all,  and  Saviour  of  men  !  here  thou  wast  a 
child  in  one  of  these  homes ;  here,  in  this  small  un- 
honored  and  almost  unknown  village,  thou  didst  pass 
many  years  in  a  humble  position — in  a  lowly  median- 


FINE    VIEW   .FROM    THE    HILL  365 

ical  pursuit,  involving  toil  and  weariness — that  tliou 
mightest  experience  all  human  hardships  and  sor- 
rows, and  that  we  might  share  in  the  fullness  of  thy 
human  and  divine  sympathy !  A  wonderful  Being  is 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  ! 

After  a  day  of  unusual  weariness  and  a  night  of 
sweetest,  profoundest  repose,  where  the  weary  Jesus 
had  so  often  slept,  early  the  next  morning  I  ascended 
to  the  top  of  the  hill  west  of  the  town,  and  near  the 
tomb  or  white-domed  wely  of  Ismail,  enjoyed  the 
wide,  commanding,  and  glorious  view,  one  of  the  best 
in  the  Holy  Land,  even  surpassing  that  magnificent 
one  from  the  summit  of  Tabor.  Looking  to  the  east, 
the  rounded  height  of  Tabor  is  seen,  only  six  miles 
distant.  Beyond  it  to  the  left  is  the  deep  basin  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  less  than  twenty  miles  away,  but  the 
sea  itself  is  not  visible.  To  the  right  of  Tabor  is  Jebel 
ed-Duhy,  or  Little  Hermon,  with  Endor  and  Nam  dot- 
ting its  slopes  ;  and  beyond  them  Mount  Gilboa,  with 
the  site  of  ancient  Jezreel  like  a  speck  at  its  base ; 
while  the  broad  green  Plain  of  Esdraelon  lies  spread 
out  in  its  beauty  on  the  south,  and  comes  to  the  very 
hills  that  encircle  Nazareth.  In  the  west,  the  eye 
rests  upon  Carmel,  with  its  long,  dark  ridge,  and  on 
the  white  strand  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  beyond  the 
plain  of  'Akka,  or  Acre,  and  the  town  of  Haifa  at  the 
best  harbor  on  the  coast.  To  the  north  are  the  villages 
of  Sefurieh,  and  the  Cana  I  did  not  visit,  and  beyond 
are  the  Lebanon  mountains,  including  the  glorious, 
snow-crowned  brow  of  Hermon.  Grand  and  beautiful 
vision !  how  rich,  in  wonderful  events  are  the  locali- 
ties in  view  !  The  encircling  and  adjacent  hills  have 


366  FOOT-PRINTS    OF   JESUS. 

an   unusual   picturesqueness   and   charm,  in  striking 
contrast  with  other  hill  scenery  in  Palestine.     Except 
a  few  rocky  summits  around   Nazareth,  the  hills  are 
covered  with  a  light  growth  of  wood,  and  descend  in 
graceful  slopes  to  broad  winding  valleys  of   richest 
green.     The  entire  landscape,  in  its  agreeable  variety, 
beautiful  luxuriance,   and  soft  coloring,  seems  almost 
Italian.     The  blessings  promised  to  the  three  tribes  of 
Zebulon,  Asher  and  Naphtali,  are  inscribed  here  in 
the  features  of  nature.  Zebulon,  nestling  among  these 
hills,  u  rejoices  in   his  going  out "  to  the  rich  plain, 
and  from  his  abundant  nocks  in  these  pastures  reach- 
ing to   the  lake,  "  offers  the  sacrifices  of  righteous- 
ness ;"  Asher,  to  the  northwest,  among  the  fine  groves 
of  olives,  "  dips  his  foot  in  oil ;"  and  JSTaphtali,  to  the 
northeast,  amidst  the  beautiful  scenery  and  fertile  soil 
above  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  "  is  satisfied  with  favor,  and 
full  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord." 

Such  are  the  splendid  views  from  this  hill-top  above 
Nazareth.  How  often  must  Jesus  have  climbed  this 
same  hill,  stood  on  this  same  spot,  and  looked  abroad 
over  these  same-  prospects  of  mountain,  valley,  and 
plain.  From  the  hot  vale  below,  He  would  come  up 
here  and  behold  the  distant  sea,  and  be  refreshed 
by  its  cool  breeze.  Most  of  His  earthly  life  was  spent 
here  "in  the  city  where  He  had  been  brought  up." 
How  interesting  to  know  more  of  that  life,  of  which 
there  is  no  record !  Often  must  He  have  gone  to  that 
fountain  with  His  mother — sat  with  His  parents  on 
the  house-top  at  evening — traveled  1hose  streets  over 
and  over,  going  to  His  toil— and  wandered  along 
these  rocky  heights  in  meditation  upon  His  wonderful 


SEFURIEH — MOUNT    CARMEL.  367 

mission  in  our  world  !     Every  spot  here  is  hallowed 
by  the  foot-prints  of  the  blessed  ]Srazarene. 

There  had  been  a  slight  rain  in  the  night ;  and  now, 
after  a  succession  of  bright  and  lovely  epring  days,  the 
morning  sky  was  overcast,  and  the  faint  roll  of  distant 
thunder  indicated  the  approach  of  showers.  About 
seven  o'clock  we  left  our  camping-ground,  and  began 
to  wind  our  way  up  the  hills  that  enclose  Nazareth  on 
the  north.  But  I  am  looking  back  upon  this  lovely 
vale  and  picturesque  village,  and  pause  on  the  sum- 
mit to  take  a  last  view  of  this  fascinating  spot  so 
full  of  Divine  images.  Passing  over  the  hill,  the 
early  home  of  Jesus  faded  from  sight.  Our  general 
course  is  northwest  among  the  hills  of  Galilee.  In  an 
hour  we  reach  Sefurieh,  the  Dio-csesarea  of  the  Ko~ 
mans,  and  the  ancient  Sephoris.  Old  columns,  hewn 
stones,  and  other  sculptured  fragments  lie  scattered 
about  or  built  into  modern  walls.  The  ruins  of  a 
Gothic  church  remain,  according  to  tradition,  on  the 
site  of  the  house  occupied  by  Joachim  and  Anna,  the 
parents  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  But  the  most  interesting 
relic  is  the  immense  old  square  tower  crowning  the 
hill.  It  is  built  of  great  beveled  stones,  indicating  a 
Jewish  origin  and  high  antiquity. 

"We  passed  through  an  oak-glade  into  a  country 
growing  rich  and  fertile  as  we  descended  to  the  plain 
of  Acre.  Amidst  hills  and  valleys,  and  groves  of  olive, 
lemon,  apricot,  and  pomegranate,  we  made  our  way, 
with  nothing  of  special  or  sacred  interest  immediately 
about  us.  Mount  Carmel,  crowned  with  a  conspicu- 
ous monastery,  was  only  a  short  distance  from  us. 
Indeed,  we  expected  to  ascend  the  mountain,  but  the 


368  THUNDEB-STOEM PLAIN    OF   ACEE. 

owners  of  our  horses  refused  to  let  them  go  up.  Be- 
fore noon  it  began  to  rain,  and  for  two  or  three  hours 
the  clouds  emptied  their  treasures  upon  MS.  Light- 
nings flashed  down  the  dark  canopy,  and  thunders 
rolled  their  heavy  chariot  wheels  along  the  cloudy 
pavements  of  heaven.  As  they  seemed  to  sweep  over 
the  long,  bold  ridge  of  Carmel  and  plunge  down  into 
the  sea,  their  reverberations  were  solemnly  grand.  As 
a  shower  passed  over  us,  I  never  was  so  consciously 
near  a  flash  or  bolt.  Some  of  those  sublime  descrip- 
tions in  the  Psalms  and  elsewhere  of  storms,  of  light- 
nings and  thunders,  had  their  reality  along  these 
mountains  and  shores. 

We  pitched  our  tents  by  a  clear,  running  brook  on 
the  plain  of  Acre,  and  on  the  borders  of  ancient  Phoe- 
nicia. The  Mediterranean  Sea  was  before  us,  and  the 
white  buildings  of  Haifa  and  Acre  were  conspicuous. 
This  semicircular  plain,  about  eight  miles  in  diameter, 
is  one  of  the  richest  in  Palestine,  abounding  in  luxu- 
riant crops  and  rank  weeds,  and  in  historical  associa- 
tions of  great  interest. 


XXXII. 

fjjpida— fct  0f  ®jp  si 

WE  left  our  camping-ground  between  six  and  seven 
the  next  morning,  April  fourth.  We  soon  came  into 
full  view  of  the  town  and  fortress  of  St.  Jean  d'Acre, 
resting  on  our  left  at  the  edge  of  the  sea,  with  the 
bold  promontory  of  Mount  Carmel  at  the  south.  Acre 
has  had  a  long,  strange  and  chequered  history.  It  is 
mentioned  but  once  in  the  Old  Testament,  where  it  is 
said  in  the  book  of  Judges  that  Asher,  the  tribe  to 
whom  this  part  of  the  country  was  given,  "  did  not 
drive  out  the  inhabitants  of  Accho."  It  was  a  strong- 
hold of  the  Phoenicians  who  flourished  here  from  time 
immemorial.  It  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  first  Ptol- 
emy of  Egypt,  who  changed  its  name  to  Ptolemais. 
By  this  name  it  is  spoken  of  in  the  account,  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  of  Paul's  journey  to  Jerusalem: 
"  And  when  we  had  finished  our  course  from  Tyre,  we 
came  to  Ptolemais,  and  saluted  the  brethren,  and 
abode  with  them  one  day."  In  the  time  of  the  Cru- 
sades, and  of  Napoleon  I.,  it  was  an  important  mili- 
tary point,  and  the  scene  of  terrible  and  bloody  con- 
flicts. 

Continuing  our  course  across  the  fertile  plain,  luxu- 
riant with  contields  and  wild  vegetation,  we  soon 
reach  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean.  Our  path  lay 

16* 


370  ACHZIB — MISEEPHOTH-MAIM. 

along  the  sandy  beach  for  a  little  time,  when  the  plain 
terminates  on  the  north  in  the  Lebanon  mountains 
which  come  down  boldly  to  the  sea.  We  are  now  on 
the  "  coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon."  Here  our  blessed 
Lord  once  came,  and  perhaps  our  route  is  nearly  the 
same  as  His.  He  looked  upon  this  sea  and  these 
mountains,  crossed  this  rich  plain,  and  ascended  that 
long  flight  of  stone  steps  now  before  us.  Here  Pales- 
tine blends  with  Phoenicia  or  Syria.  The  little  ham- 
let of  Es-Zib,  which  we  pass,  is  no  doubt  the  repre- 
sentative of  Achzib,  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Joshua. 
The  olive  groves  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  remind 
us  of  the  promise  to  Asher  :  "  Let  him  dip  his  foot  in 
oil."  Right  before  us  is  a  high,  bold,  rocky  promon- 
tory, breaking  down  abruptly  into  the  sea.  We  climb 
it  by  a  long  zig-zag  path  cut  in  the  rocks  like  a  stair- 
case. The  name  of  this  height  with  the  fountains  at 
its  base,  is  Has  el-Muslieirifeh,  and  it  is  probably  the 
ancient  Misrephoth-maim,  to  which  Joshua  drove  a 
part  of  Jabin's  host  from  the  battle  at  the  waters  of 
Merom.  The  view  from  the  summit  is  extensive — 
Carmel  and  the  plain  of  Acre  being  behind  us,  the 
wide  and  restless  sea  on  our  left,  the  Lebanon  moun- 
tains on  our  right,  and  a  long  strip  of  the  old  Phoeni- 
cian sea-coast  before  us.  Over  this  pass  our  course 
was  often  on  the  verge  of  a  fearful  precipice,  down 
the  perpendicular  side  of  which  we  could  look  hun- 
dreds of  feet  to  the  foaming  breakers. 

Descending  to  the  narrow  plain,  we  pass  a  Roman 
bridge,  and  observe  the  little  village  of  Nakurah  on 
our  right.  On  the  same  side,  at  the  end  of  another 
hour,  we  find  a  nameless  spot  marked  by  an  old  build- 


371 

ing  and  stone  foundations,  with  many  Ionic  columns 
scattered  here  and  there.  But  a  little  further  along 
on  the  left  is  a  much  larger  mass  of  ruins,  called 
Iskanderieh,  the  ancient  A.lexandroschene.  Huge  old 
walls  near  the  edge  of  the  sea  seem  like  the  remains 
of  a  fortification.  A  copious  fountain  flows  amid  the 
ruins,  suggesting  a  suitable  place  for  our  noon-day 
lunch.  This  spot  is  named  "  Alexander's  Tent,"  prob- 
ably from  some  tradition  that  here  the  great  warrior 
once  encamped.  Stretching  out  to  the  north  there  is 
a  fine  beach  of  pebbles,  of  various  sizes  and  colors, 
intermingled  with  specimens  of  shell  and  sponge. 

We  soon  reach  a  lofty  cape,  called  Promontorium 
Album,  from  its  white  or  chalky  appearance,  and 
more  generally  known  as  the  "  Ladder  of  Tyre,"  or 
Scala  Ty riorum.  We  pass  over  it  by  a  winding  path 
cut  in  the  rocks.  This  stone  stairway,  a  mile  in 
length,  is  sometimes  on  the  very  edge  of  the  cliff, 
overhanging  the  sea,  which  roars  and  foams  two  hun- 
dred feet  below.  Some  say  Alexander  made  this  path 
for  the  passage  of  horses  and  camels. 

Our  course  is  along  the  shore  of  the  far-sounding 
sea,  whose  foam-crested  surfs  come  rolling  in  grandly 
at  our  feet.  We  look  on  these  waves,  these  mountain- 
sides, this  narrow  plain,  and  think  of  the  riches  and 
splendors  of  that  ancient  period  when  Tyre  was  in  her 
glory.  A  mighty  power  were  those  old  Phosnicians 
who  had  their  home  here.  What  teeming  popula- 
tions moved  over  this  fertile  soil !  What  magnificent 
cities,  with  their  gorgeous  temples  and  palaces,  glit- 
tered along  this  coast !  What  a  multitude  of  sails  en- 
livened this  sea !  What  rows  of  graceful  palms 


372  RAS    EL-' A  IN AQUEDUCTS. 

shaded  the  paths,  and  what  beautiful  gardens  and  lux- 
uriant fruits  adorned  the  slopes  !  Against  all  this  dis- 
play of  wealth  and  splendor  the  sacred  prophets  de- 
nounced the  judgments  of  God,  because  of  the  idola- 
try and  wickedness  of  the  people  ;  and  to  this  day  the 
evidences  of  the  wonderful  fulfillment  of  those  predic- 
tions are  most  marked  and  convincing.  "  A  mournful 
and  solitary  silence  now  prevails  along  the  shore 
which  once  resounded  with  the  world's  debate." 

Now  along  the  pebbly  or  rocky  beach,  and  then 
over  the  fragments  of  an  old  paved  Roman  road, 
observing  perhaps  a  ruined  tower  or  fallen  columns, 
we  arrived  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  at  Has 
el-'Ain,  the  "Fountain  Head,"  a  group  of  old  and 
remarkable  fountains  and  reservoirs.  The  masonry 
enclosing  these  reservoirs  is  very  massive.  The  lar- 
gest, octagonal  in  form,  is  sixty-six  feet  in  diameter 
and  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  a  slope  so  gradual 
that  I  could  ride  to  the  top.  The  stream  from  this 
fountain  still  carries  a  mill,  and  the  remains  of  aque- 
ducts show  that  it  was  carried  to  other  mills.  Run- 
ning northward  into  a  field  for  two  miles  is  a  Roman 
aqueduct  supported  on  arches.  It  is  said  that  the 
water  supplying  these  fountains  is  brought  by  an 
under-ground  canal  from  a  distance ;  and  there  is  an 
old  tradition  that  these  massive  reservoirs  were  built 
by  Solomon,  and  answer  to  the  passage  in  Canticles : 
"  A  fountain  of  gardens,  a  well  of  living  waters,  and 
streams  of  Lebanon."  They  are  certainly  very  an- 
cient, and  probably  supplied  the  city  of  Tyre  with 
water,  conveyed  by  aqueducts  nearly  three  miles. 
Near  by  I  observed  a  modern  silk  establishment 


TYRE ITS    PRESENT    ASPECT.  373 

which  appeared  well,  back  of  a  thrifty  grove  of  mul- 
berry-trees. 

In  less  than  an  hour  from  the  fountains,  we  reached 
our  tents  pitched  near  the  solitary  gate  of  Tyre — 
Tyre,  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  so  ancient  and 
splendid,  but  now  a  desolation.  In  coming  to  it  we 
pased  over  a  sandy  isthmus — the  remains  of  Alexan- 
der's causeway — making  a  peninsula  of  what  was  for- 
merly an  island.  The  city  is  spoken  of  as  being  "  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea."  The  low  rocky  island  on  which 
it  stood  is  less  than  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  was  about  a 
half  a  mile  from  the  main-land.  The  isthmus  has  been 
widened  by  accumulations  of  sand,  washing  up  on  the 
north  or  harbor  side  in  a  fine  beach.  Here,  near  an 
old  wreck,  we  found  an  excellent  bathing-place.  The 
present  town  contains  about  three  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, a  part  of  them  nominally  Christians.  As  we 
wandered  through  the  place  we  found  most  of  the 
houses  wretchedly  poor,  and  the  streets  narrow, 
crooked,  and  filthy.  The  general  aspect  of  desolation 
is  partially  relieved  by  a  few  green  trees,  mostly  palm 
and  pride  of  India,  interspersed  among  the  dwellings 
and  gardens.  A  few  rickety  fishing-boats  in  the  har- 
bor, with  a  small  export  of  cotton,  tobacco  and  mill- 
stones, are  the  sole  representatives  of  the  once  impe- 
rial commerce  of  Tyre.  The  old  wall  is  broken  down 
or  has  breaches  here  and  there,  and  the  whole  appear- 
ance of  the  place  constantly  reminds  one  of  the  proph- 
ecies uttered  and  fulfilled  against  this  city^  "  And 
they  shall  make  a  spoil  of  thy  riches,  and  make  prey 
of  thy  merchandize ;  and  they  shall  break  down  thy 
walls,  and  destroy  thy  pleasant  houses."  "  They  shall 


374  RUINS   OF  TYRE — PAUI/S   VISIT. 

lament  over  thee,  saying,  What  city  is  like  Tyrus, 
like  the  destroyed  in  the  midst  of  the  sea?"  It  is 
scarcely  possible  to  describe  the  immense  amount  and 
confused  mass  of  ruins  lying  in  and  around  this  an- 
cient city.  There  are  "heaps  upon  heaps"  of  them, 
accumulating  and  mingling  in  the  repeated  deso- 
lations to  which  it  has  been  subjected.  Every  wave 
breaks  over  them,  for  they  lie  thick  in  the  water  as 
upon  the  land.  Within  the  town  there  are  some 
splendid  relics,  including  three  beautiful  columns  of 
red  granite,  of  an  ancient  church,  in  which  reposes 
the  dust  of  Origen  and  of  the  Emperor  Frederic  Bar- 
barossa.  As  I  was  coming  out  of  the  town  I  noticed 
some  fisherman's  nets  stretched  on  the  old  walls,  and 
was  reminded  of  the  striking  fulfilment  of  the  proph- 
ecy :  "  I  will  make  thee  like  the  top  of  a  rock  :  thou 
shalt  be  a  place  to  spread  nets  upon."  Such  is  Tyre, 
the  "  daughter  of  Sidon,"  but  outgrowing  her  mother  ; 
"a  strong  city,"  in  the  time  of  Joshua,  and  then  mis- 
tress of  the  seas  and  parent  of  colonies  in  Europe  and 
Africa.  Her  varied  fortunes  in  successive  ages  and 
under  different  dominations,  would  make  a  long  chap- 
ter. The  prophet  Ezekiel  gives  a  most  vivid  and 
poetical  description  of  her  grandeur  and  power,  her 
luxury  and  pride,  and  with  equal  vividness  predicts 
her  fall  and  desolation.  The  massive  Tomb  of  Hiram, 
king  of  Tyre,  is  on  a  hillside  a  few  miles  east  of  the 
city. 

One*  of  Paul's  voyages,  as  he  sailed  by  the  islands 
of  .Rhodes  and  Cyprus,  brought  him  to  a  landing  at 
Tyre,  where  the  ship  was  to  unlade  her  burden. 
Here  he  found  congenial  disciples  of  Christ,  with 


RIVER   LEONTES CURIOUS    STORY.  375 

whom  lie  spent  seven  days  of  precious  interest,  fellow- 
ship, prayer  and  labor.  When  he  and  his  associates 
departed,  the  loving  brethren  of  Tyre  accompanied 
them  out  of  the  city,  so  interested  that  they  took  their 
wives  and  children  along  to  a  place  on  that  sandy 
beach,  and  there  before  parting  they  kneeled  down  on 
the  shore  and  prayed.  What  a  beautiful  scene !  How 
sweetly  it  speaks  of  Christian  fellowship,  friendship 
and  love!  How  strangely  in  contrast  with  many 
other  scenes  that  have  transpired  at  this  ancient 
city ! 

The  next  clay  we  journeyed  to  Sidon,  along  the 
narrow  plain,  under  the  shadow  of  the  Lebanon 
mountains  and  greeted  by  the  ceaseless  music  of  sea- 
billows  breaking  at  our  feet.  These  remain  as  of  old, 
while  the  successive  splendors  and  dominations  of 
Phoenicians,  Greeks,  Romans  and  Crusaders,  have 
passed  away,  leaving  their  intermingled  ruins  behind, 
over  which  the  wretched  Moslem  rules,  the  very  im- 
personation of  decay.  Among  the  streams  we  pass, 
the  Leontes  is  the  most  considerable.  Larger  than 
any  river  we  have  seen  in  the  land,  except  the  Jor- 
dan, it  rises  near  Baalbek,  and  flows  down  through 
the  mountains  in  many  a  wild  gorge  and  picturesque 
glen,  and  takes  the  name  of  Litany  before  it  enters 
the  sea.  A  few  miles  further  on,  a  group  of  upright 
stones,  called  a  sort  of.  Syrian  Stonehenge,  attracts 
attention.  A  curious  story  is  associated  with  it.  A 
little  hamlet  is  near  by  containing  a  white-domed 
wely  in  honor  of  some  great  prophet  in  the  olden 
past.  The  prophet  was  once  mocked  by  a  number 
of  men  passing  by,  and  as.  he  cursed  them  in  revenge, 


376  ROMAN    EELICS — SAKEPTA. 

they  were  at  once  changed  into  stones  where  they  still 
stand.  The  soil  of  the  plain  is  dark  and  rich,  but  it  is 
nearly  deserted;  the  inhabitants  rinding  it  safer  to 
live  in  their  villages  nestled  on  the  mountain-sides 
which  they  terrace  and  cultivate.  Old  ruins,  indi- 
cating the  sites  of  former  cities,  lie  along  our  path, 
in  which  are  fragments  of  tessellated  pavements,  and 
huge  columnar  mile-stones,  bearing  various  inscrip- 
tions, including  the  name  of  the  Roman  Emperor  Sep- 
timius  Severus.  The  neighboring  cliffs  are  niched 
with  numerous  tombs.  We  crossed  many  little  streams 
watering  the  plain  from  the  hills,  and  observed  grace- 
ful gazelles  skipping  away  from  their  margins.  These 
beautiful  and  sprightly  little  animals  are  seen  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  are  several  times 
alluded  to  in  the  Bible  under  the  names  of  harts, 
hinds,  and  roes. 

At  length  we  come  to  a  memorable  and  very  inte- 
resting spot.  It  is  the  ancient  Sarepta,  forever  identi- 
fied with  the  poor  widow  and  the  miracles  of  Elijah, 
and  it  was  probably  the  point  to  which  our  Divine 
Lord  came  when  he  visited  the  coast  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  and  wrought  a  gracious  miracle  in  answer  to 
the  pleadings  and  faith  of  the  Syro-Phoenician  woman. 
Thus  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  Sarepta  is  hon- 
ored and  embalmed.  As  the  prophet  came  hither 
from  the  brook  Cherith  in  time  of  famine,  he  met  the 
widow  out  gathering  sticks  to  cook  her  last  meal.  I 
have  often  seen  the  poor  women  of  Palestine  collect- 
ing fuel  on  the  hills  and  bearing  home  the  bundles  of 
sticks  on  their  heads.  The  ancient  town  probably 
stood  near  the  shore,  where  now  there  is  nothing  but 


THE   POOR   WIDOW FOOTSTEPS    OF   JESUS.  377 

scattered  ruins,  a  wely,  and  an  old  khan.  A  half  a 
mile  distant,  high  up  on  a  bill,  is  the  large  village  of 
Sarafend,  the  modern  representative  of  Sarepta.  But 
here,  where  we  are  now  passing,  lived  the  widow 
whose  story  has  become  immortal.  Her  unfailing 
barrel  of  meal  and  cruse  of  oil  teach  lessons  of  confi- 
dence and  trust  in  God.  Her  dead  son  was  restored 
to  life  as  a  reward  of  her  benevolence  and  faith,  as  she 
sustained  the  weary  prophet,  the  type  of  the  forerunner 
of  Christ  who,  nearly  a  thousand  years  afterwards,  in 
His  many  journey  ings  came  once  to  this  coast,  and 
probably  at  this  spot  healed  the  daughter  of  the  Ca- 
naanite  woman,  an  imperishable  record  of  simple  and 
mighty  faith  and  divine  relief,  that  has  inspired  hope 
and  joy  in  many  a  burdened  heart.  Adieu,  Sarepta  ! 
Thou  hast  taught  sweet  lessons  while  I  have  lingered 
a  little  on  thy  ancient  site,  at  the  noontide  of  a  lovely 
spring  day.  I  shall  remember  thee  forever.  Let  me 
pick  a  few  leaves  from  this  fine  fig-tree  to  bear  away 
as  memorials  of  thee. 

In  leaving  Sarepta  we  pass  beyond  where  the  sacred 
feet  of  our  blessed  Saviour  pressed  the  soil  of  this 
Holy  Land,  and  beyond  the  objects  that  lay  beneath 
His  holy  human  eye.  Every  day  since  that  in  whicb 
we  entered  Palestine,  we  have  been  treading  in  the 
footsteps  of  Jesus,  and  wandering  amidst  scenes,  over 
hills,  through  valleys,  and  across  streams,  that  were 
familiar  to  Him.  And  around  many  of  those  places 
what  sacred,  precious,  and  tender  memories  cling! 
How  eloquently  they  repeat  the  wonderful  incidents 
in  the  life  of  Jesus  !  How  thrillingly  they  remind  us 
of  His  gracious  words  and  glorious  works,  His  prayers, 


378  APPROACH   TO    SIDON. 

sufferings  and  tears  !  Every  stone  has  a  voice — every 
rustling  leaf  speaks  of  Jesus — every  fountain  murmurs 
His  name — every  flower  reflects  His  love — every  hill 
seems  another  Calvary  and  Olivet.  O,  there  is  some- 
thing inexpressible  in  the  associations  of  these  Holy 
Places — to  read  the  life  of  the  Divine  Redeemer  in  the 
very  localities  where  the  astonishing  events  transpired, 
and  to  see  before  you  the  existing  and  unmistakable 
evidences  of  their  truth !  Here  are  the  mute  but  con- 
vincing witnesses  of  the  Sacred  History,  and  the  Gos- 
pel comes  home  to  the  heart  with  a  double  power  as 
the  testimony  of  sight  is  added  to  your  faith. 

Beyond  a  desolate  waste  just  north  of  Sarepta,  we 
enter  a  shad}'  grove  and  sit  down  to  our  noon  repast 
near  a  sparkling  fountain.  Magnificent  Lebanon  rises 
above  us,  and  the  rolling  sea-surf  breaks  at  our  feet. 
On  a  little  promontory  in  the  distance  before  us  we 
distinctly  see  the  city  of  Sidon,  encircled  by  luxuriant 
gardens  and  blooming  orchards.  On  that  spot  stood 
the  "  great  Zidon  "  of  which  Joshua  speaks,  one  of  the 
very  oldest  cities  of  the  world.  To  look  upon  such  a 
place  continuously  inhabited  through  such  a  long  suc- 
cession of  generations — through  nearly  all  the  ages  of 
the  world's  history — what  a  train  of  thoughts  are 
awakened!  How  the  gates  of  history  open,  and  you 
look  back  upon  the  wondrous  scenes  that  throng  the 
far  and  mighty  field  of  vision  ! 

In  three  hours  more,  crossing  the  "  Flowery  Stream" 
and  the  dry  beds  of  one  or  two  wintery  torrents,  whose 
banks  are  brilliant  with  gay  and  beautiful  oleanders, 
we  come  to  Sidon.  As  we  enter  its  borders  the  air  is 
laden  with  perfumes,  and  especially  with  odors  from 


FRUIT   GARDENS — A   CHRISTIAN    FAMILY.  379 

the  numerous  orange-groves,  where  the  golden  fruit 
looks  so  charming.  The  Sidon  oranges  are  renowned 
for  their  excellence.  In  these  adjacent  orchards, 
stretching  away  to  the  roots  of  the  mountains  and 
abundantly  watered  by  their  streams,  there  is  a  luxu- 
riant profusion  of  fruits  and  flowers.  Nearly  all  vari- 
eties in  the  land  are  here — oranges,  lemons,  citrons, 
pears,  pomegranates,  figs,  grapes,  olives,  dates,  apples, 
bananas,  almonds,  peaches,  apricots,  plums,  and  other 
varieties — making  a  splendid  forest  of  gardens. 

We  enter  and  pass  through  the  town.  Its  popula- 
tion, embracing  Moslems,  Greeks,  and  Jews,  is  up- 
wards of  five  thousand.  The  streets  are  narrow  and 
dirty,  as  is  usual  in  the  East.  Some  of  the  dwellings 
are  quite  spacious  and  comparatively  elegant,  espe- 
cially those  on  the  eastern  wall.  There  is  a  sort  of 
citadel  on  the  south  and  an  old  castle  on  the  north, 
the  latter  connected  with  the  city  by  a  bridge  with 
stone  arches.  Our  tents  are  pitched  just  north  of  the 
town  on  the  sandy  beach.  Presently  a  Christian  fam- 
ily of  native  Syrians,  connected  with  the  American 
mission  here,  come  from  their  house  near  by  to  wel- 
come us.  Father,  mother,  and  three  or  four  grown 
up  daughters,  an  interesting  group,  in  complexion, 
manners  and  dress  more  like  Europeans  than  Orien- 
tals, and  some  of  them  able  to  speak  a  little  English  ; 
we  were  very  happy  to  see  them,  and  to  converse  of 
precious  interests  and  hopes  that  make  all  believing 
hearts  one  in  sympathy  and  joy  throughout  the 
world. 

Phoenicia  is  the  oldest  of  civilized  nations,  and  Sidon 
is  "the  mother  of  all  the  Phoenicians."    It  is  supposed 


380  SIDON    TO   BEIRUT. 

to  have  been  founded  by  Sidon,  a  son  of  Canaan,  and 
great-grandson  of  Noah.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  tenth 
chapter  of  Genesis,  in  connexion  with  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah. Joshua  speaks  of  it  as  a  great  city.  Homer 
sang  of  its  arts  and  arms.  Its  history  is  like  that  of 
many  others,  a  story  of  prosperity,  grandeur,  and  de- 
cline. Its  idolatrous  and  wicked  inhabitants,  of  whom 
Jezebel  was  a  specimen,  incurred  the  judgments  of 
God,  whose  threatenings  against  it  by  His  prophets 
were  fulfilled.  Among  the  ancient  relics  still  found 
here,  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  are  the  elaborate 
tombs  and  sarcophagi  with  which  the  adjacent  hill- 
sides abound,  and  where  the  early  kings  of  Sidon  were 
buried  in  rocky  sepulchres  and  coffins  of  hewn 
stone. 

The  next  morning,  a  little  after  six  o'clock,  we  left 
Sidon  for  Beirut,  distant  about  twenty  miles  north. 
The  glorious  heights  of  Lebanon  were  on  our  right, 
many  of  them  crowned  with  snow.  A  few  clusters  of 
magnificent  cedars  are  left,  the  lonely  representatives 
of  the  great  and  splendid  forests  on  the  mountain 
slopes  in  the  days  of  Solomon  and  Hiram.  We  thought 
of  that  singular  woman,  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,  as  we 
passed  opposite  to  the  place  where  she  lived  and  died. 
JSTear  the  shore  we  observed  a  khan  and  a  white  wely. 
They  both  bear  the  name  of  Jonah.  And  this  is  the 
spot  where  tradition  says  the  great  fish  "  vomited  out" 
the  prophet  •'  upon  the  dry  land."  It  is  at  least  a 
quiet  and  suitable  place  for  such  au  event,  and  on  the 
route  from  Joppa  to  Tarshish.  Somewhere  on  this 
coast  the  event  transpired,  and  it  might  have  been  here. 


XXXIII. 

— Smpw— < 

BEIRUT  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  gentle  eminence 
or  cape,  and  is  the  most  flourishing  city  on  the  coast. 
It  has  so  outgrown  its  walls  that  there  seems  to  be  as 
many  buildings  outside  of  them  as  within.  Its  com- 
merce must  be  large.  Our  entrance  to  it  was  through 
fine  groves  of  mulberry,  pine  and  other  trees.  Here 
we  spent  two  or  three  days,  including  a  Sabbath. 
Here  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomson  resides,  who  has  been  a 
missionary  of  the  American  Board  over  thirty  years 
in  this  country.  Presenting  my  letter  of  introduction 
to  him,  he  received  us  very  cordially,  invited  us  to 
spend  an  evening  at  his  house,  and  insisted  that  I 
should  preach  once  for  him  on  the  Lord's  day.  As- 
sembled with  his  agreeable  family,  we  found  several 
other  missionaries  and  their  families,  making  the  occa- 
sion very  pleasant.  The  missionaries  had  just  been 
holding  their  annual  meeting,  after  a  year  of  unusual 
prosperity.  There  is  a  good  chapel  in  Beirut,  and 
divine  service,  with  preaching  both  in  English  and 
Arabic,  is  held  in  it  every  Sabbath.  We  found  at  our 
hotel  here  the  Booths,  whom  we  had  met  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  good  fortune  made  them  our  fellow-passen- 
gers to  Constantinople.  Before  leaving  Beirut,  Wil- 
liam A.  Booth,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  with  characteristic 


382  LEAVING  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

benevolence,  left  a  very  substantial  token  of  his  inter- 
est in  the  mission  schools. 

At  length  our  arrangements  are  made  for  leaving 
the  land  of  sacred  memories.  A  journey  through 
Palestine  and  Syria — how  many  glorious  associations 
are  connected  with  it !  Its  precious  reminiscences  and 
sweet  pictures  will  forever  remain  in  the  mind,  a  con- 
stantly increasing  delight.  Farewell,  O  thou  most 
wonderful  of  lands!  in  thy  paths  and  palm-shades, 
among  thy  mountains  and  vales,  by  thy  cities  and 
shores,  my  heart  is  still  with  thee ! 

0  glorious  Land  !  of  all  earth-realms  preferred 

By  Jehovah,  whose  voice  thou  so  often  hast  heard, 
As  thy  valleys  and  hills  re-echoed  His  word. 

1  tread  in  the  paths  where  the  patriarchs  trod  ; 
I  visit  the  haunts  of  the  prophets  of  God — 

Where  the  feet  of  bright  angels  have  hallowed  the  sod. 

I  enter  thy  portals,  0  Salem  renowned  ! 

I  walk  about  Zion,  with  towers  once  crowned  ; 

Look  down  on  Moriah,  the  Temple's  fair  ground. 

I  go  where  the  Saviour,  by  mountain  and  shore, 
With  the  twelve  He  had  chosen,  oft  journeyed  before, 
Relieved  the  sad-hearted  and  preached  to  the  poor. 

I  gaze  on  the  objects  that  He  had  surveyed: 

I  trace  His  dear  steps  to  Gethsemane's  shade ; 

I  weep  where  He  wept,  and  pray  where  He  prayed. 

I  stand  by  the  Hall  where  false  judgment  was  given ; 
I  go  to  the  Hill  where  the  Cross-nails  were  driven  j 
I  enter  the  Tomb  of  the  loved  One  of  Heaven. 


CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICIALS CYPKUS.  383 

I  pass  o'er  the  Kedron  to  Olivet  nigh, 

"Where  Bethany  nestles  so  sweet  'neath  the  eye, 

Where  the  Glorious  Redeemer  ascended  on  high. 

0  Land  of  the  holiest  memories,  adieu  ! 
My  wanderings  in  thee  I  shall  often  renew  ; 
Thy  beautiful  landscapes  are  ever  in  view. 

0  desolate  Land  !  'neath  a  blight  to  remain, 

Till  thy  children,  long  scattered,  are  gathered  again, 

And  thy  King,  once  rejected,  shall  over  thee  reign 

Just  before  sunset  on  Monday  evening,  April  ninth, 
we  sailed  from  the  harbor  of  Beirut,  in  a  fine  Austrian 
steamer  bound  for  Constantinople.  Before  going 
aboard,  the  custom-house  officers  subjected  us  to  a 
most  tedious  delay  and  vexatious  examination  of  our 
luggage.  They  wanted  more  bucksheesh  than  we 
were  disposed  to  give,  or  more  likely  they  were  en- 
couraged to  trouble  us  by  a  fiery  scamp  named  Hal- 
eel,  an  assistant  of  our  dragoman,  who  had  become 
offended  with  one  or  two  of  our  party,  and  thus  sought 
revenge.  We  had  twenty -two  Americans  on  board, 
making  a  majority  of  the  passengers,  not  including  a 
number  of  pilgrims,  mostly  Greeks,  returning  from 
Palestine,  and  occupying  a  portion  of  the  deck  with 
their  tents.  The  night  was  clear  and  caltn,  as  was  the 
next  morning,  when  we  anchored  near  Cyprus,  and 
visited  the  island  in  small  boats.  We  called  on  the 
American  Consul,  a  son  of  Dr.  Barclay,  missionary  at 
Jerusalem,  and  were  pleasantly  entertained  at  his  am- 
ple rooms.  We  wandered  through  the  bazaars  of  the 
town  of  Larnica,  visited  a  Greek  church,  and  a  ceme- 
tery where  Mr.  Pease,  first  missionary  of  the  Ameri- 


384  A    PHENOMENON — RHODES. 

can  Board  to  Cyprus,  was  buried.  This  island  was 
anciently  celebrated  for  its  -temples  and  worship  of  Ye- 
nus  by  the  voluptuous  inhabitants  ;  it  has  always  been 
noted  for  its  fine  vineyards  and  wines  ;  and  it  is  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  as  the 
home  of  Barnabas,  and  Mnason,  the  "  old  disciple," 
and  as  the  scene  of  some  of  Paul's  labors,  where  he 
preached  the  gospel  to  Serjius  Paulus,  and  encoun- 
tered the  sorcerer  Ely  mas. 

In  a  few  hours  we  resumed  our  voyage  over  a  fine 
sea.  The  next  morning  we  were  passing  along  the 
mountainous  coast  of  Asia  Minor.  Some  of  the  loft- 
iest slopes  and  peaks  were  covered  with  snow.  Here 
the  wind  rose,  and  the  sea  began  to  swell.  A  singu- 
lar phenomenon  occurred  in  the  afternoon.  The  sky 
was  filled  with  clouds  of  a  reddish-yellow  hue,  and 
the  falling  rain  was  mixed  with  sand,  covering  our 
hats  and  coats  with  dust-drops.  It  was  said  the  sand 
was  blown  from  Cyprus,  a  long  distance.  At  night 
the  sea  was  very  rough,  and  many  were  sick. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  entered  the  h arbor  of 
Rhodes,  one  of  the  islands  mentioned  in  the  account 
of  Paul's  voyage  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  "We  went 
ashore  near  the  place  where  stood  the  huge  Colossus, 
one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  It  was  a 
statue  of  brass,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  each 
of  its  fingers  being  larger  than  a  man ;  but  it  was 
thrown  down  by  an  earthquake  after  it  had  stood  a  lit- 
tle more  than  half  a  century.  "We  entered  the  gate  of 
a  dilapidated  town,  amidst  old  fortifications,  castles, 
and  cannons,  passing  from  the  ruins  of  an  ancient 
church,  along  the  street  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John, 


.EGEAN  SEA — PATMOS SMYRNA.          385 

the  deserted  stone  houses  being  embellished  with 
columns  and  slabs  of  marble,  on  which  were  engraved 
various  escutcheons  and  crests. 

Resuming  our  voyage,  we  were  now  in  the  ^Egean 
Sea,  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor  and  many  islands  in 
view.  We  passed  Coos,  and  a  little  before  sunset 
"  the  isle  that  is  called  Patmos,"  to  which  John,  the 
beloved  disciple,  was  banished,  where  he  had  glorious 
interviews  with  Christ,  and  caught  and  recorded  the 
last  accents  of  Inspiration.  I  was  greatly  interested 
in  this  little  rocky  spot,  and  was  fortunate  in  obtaining 
a  good  view  of  it.  The  highest  point  of  the  island  is 
crowned  with  a  large  monastery.  The  night  was  fear- 
fully temptuous,  and  the  steamer  creaked  and  pitched 
prodigiously  in  the  rough  sea,  environed  with  rain, 
hail,  and  thunder  and  lightning. 

The  next  morning  was  clear,  and  we  entered  the 
harbor  of  Smyrna,  the  city  and  shore  having  a  beau- 
tiful appearance  as  we  approached  them.  It  soon  be- 
gan to  rain,  but  we  went  ashore,  wandered  through 
the  bazaars,  and  entered  a  Greek  church,  which  was 
thronged  by  an  apparently  happy  multitude,  kissing  as 
fast  as  possible  a  picture  of  the  crucifixion.  It  was 
Good  Friday,  and  I  noticed  many  men  in  the  streets, 
carrying  slaughtered  lambs  on  their  shoulders,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  the  religious  festival  may  explain.  It 
was  pleasant  to  see  a  majority  of  the  people  in  Euro- 
pean costume,  and  many  of  the  ladies  were  quite 
pretty.  The  following  day  we  visited  the  cypress- 
shaded  cemeteries  back  of  the  town,  and  lingered  at 
the  remains  of  the  ancient  amphitheater  pointed  out 
us  the  scene  of  Polycarp's  martyrdom.  The  place  of 

17 


386  SITE    OF   TROT CONSTANTINOPLE. 

his  burial,  and  the  site  of  "the  church  in  Smyrna" 
are  near  by.  The  high  eminence  above,  crowned  with 
an  old  castle,  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding country.  "We  returned  by  the  Caravan 
Bridge — whence  loaded  camels  depart  into  the  inte- 
rior— a  locality  that,  among  several  others,  claims  to 
be  the  birthplace  of  Homer. 

We  sailed  in  the  afternoon  and  stopped  a  short  time 
in  the  evening  at  Mitylene,  where  Paul  touched  on 
his  way  from  Greece  to  Jerusalem.  We  had  a  good 
view  of  the  site  of  ancient  Ilium  or  Troy  before  we 
entered  the  Dardanelles,  the  narrow  straits  separating 
Europe  and  Asia,  and  then  passing  the  Hellespont  we 
were  on  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 

On  the  morning  of  April  sixteenth,  I  was  watching 
from  the  deck  in  the  rain  for  a  first  glimpse  of  Con- 
stantinople, whose  situation  is  fine,  beautiful,  magnifi- 
cent, perhaps  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  city  in  the 
world.  The  Golden  Horn,  the  Bosphorus,  the  slopes 
on  each  side  covered  with  buildings  massed  together, 
splendid  palaces,  mosques  with  their  grand  domes  and 
graceful  minarets,  with  gardens  and  cypress  groves 
above,  formed  a  picture  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 
Scutari,  Pera,  and  Stamboul,  the  site  of  old  Byzan- 
tium, combine  to  make  a  city  whose  position  for  com- 
merce and  influence  as  well  as  beauty  of  situation 
may  well  be  coveted  by  the  Czar.  We  found  excellent 
accommodations  at  the  Hotel  de  1'Europe,  kept  by  an 
Englishwoman,  in  Pera.  The  bazaars  of  Stamboul 
are  wonderful  for  the  profuse  variety  and  tempting 
richness  and  beauty  of  the  fabrics  offered  for  sale. 
Notwithstanding  the  rain  and  the  wind^  I  enjoyed  the 


ST.    SOPHIA — TOMBS — SERAGLIO.  387 

long  tramp  for  the  attractive  and   curious  sights   and 
scenes  it  furnished.     The  next  day   we   visited   many 
places  and  objects  of  interest.     It  cost  our  large  party 
three  dollars  each  to  enter  the  Mosque  of  St.   Sophia. 
It  is  a  magnificent  edifice,  originally  built  as  a  Chris- 
tian church.     You  must  take  off  your  boots  and  enter 
it  in  slippers.      You  look  with  wonder  from  the   vast 
area  up  to  the  grand  domes  and  around  on  the  numer- 
ous and  splendid  columns  of  porphyry  and  green  mar- 
ble or  granite  brought  from  Baalbek  or  from  the  tem- 
ple of  Diana  at  Ephesus.      The   Mosque   of  Sultan. 
Achmet  is  surmounted   by  an   immense   dome    sup- 
ported by  marble  columns  thirty-three  feet  in  diam- 
eter.    I  noticed  many  boxes  of  baggage  in  the  gal- 
leries said  to  belong  to  persons  on  the  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca.     The  Tombs  of  Sultan  Mahmoud  and  family 
are  very  costly.     In  the  temple  or  mausoleum  were  a 
number  of  large  sarcophagi,  covered  with  rich  shawls 
and  velvets.      Copies  of  the  Koran,  elegantly  printed 
and  embellished,  and  wrapped  in  splendidly  embroi- 
dered cloth,  were  laid  in  chairs  around  the  tombs.   We 
were  next  taken  to  a  large  building  containing  speci- 
mens of  old  armor,  and  especially  curious  for  its  mul- 
titude of  life-like  representations  of  the  janizaries  of 
the  Sultan,  resembling  wax-fixures,  in  all  sorts  of  cos- 
tumes and  attitudes.      Our  firman  for  the  Mosque  of 
St.  Sophia  and  other  places  also  included  admission  to 
the  Seraglio  Palace.     The  gardens  and  grounds  about 
it  are  spacious  and  shaded  by  cypress-trees.     It  occu- 
pies a  point  on  the  edge  of  the  Golden  Horn,  a  beau- 
tiful situation.      Time  would  fail  to  describe  the  vari 
ous  apartments  we  entered,    their   attractions,    their 


388         BOSPHOKUS — GOLDEN   HOEN — CLASSIC   SPOTS. 

splendors,  arrangement  and  furniture,  from  the  throne- 
room  to  the  bath,  not  including  the  harem. 

We  were  anxious  for  a  sail  up  the  Bospliorus  to  the 
Black  Sea,  and  finding  that  no  steamer  was  going  in 
the  afternoon,  we  chartered  one  on  its  arriving  from 
some  point  below,  and  had  a  fine  trip  which  we  great- 
ly enjoyed  amidst  beautiful  scenery  on  both  the  Eu- 
ropean and  Asiatic  sides,  as  castles,  palaces  and 
mosques,  fine  dwellings  and  country  seats,  with  gar- 
dens and  groves,  continually  greeted  us,  till  we  got  a 
good  view  of  the  Black  Sea,  when  we  returned.  The 
next  morning,  clear  and  beautiful,  three  of  us  took  a 
caique  and  were  rowed  up  the  Golden  Horn  to  its  ex- 
tremity, and  were  delighted  with  the  excursion  and 
the  scenery.  The  caique  is  a  light,  elegant,  canoe- 
like  boat,  embellished  with  delicate  carving  inside, 
drawing  but  little  water  and  gliding  like  a  fish.  Cush- 
ions are  furnished  and  we  sit  in  the  bottom  a  la  Turk. 

We  had  engaged  passage  for  Marseilles  on  a  fine 
French  steamer,  and  left  Constantinople  about  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  obtaining  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  city  in  our  departure.  The  next  morning  we 
passed  again  by  the  plains  of  Troy  and  near  the  tomb 
of  Achilles,  a  mound  of  earth.  Mount  Ida,  crowned 
with  snow,  loomed  up  in  the  rear.  On  our  right  was 
Samothrace  where  Neptune  surveyed  the  fleet,  and 
we  passed  close  to  Tenedos,  behind  which  the  fleet  lay 
anchored.  On  our  left  was  Chios,  or  Scio,  that  rocky 
isle  that  claims  to  be  the  birthplace  of  "  the  blind  old 
bard."  We  passed  in  view  of  several  other  islands  of 
classic  or  historical  interest. 

By  daylight  the  next  morning,  April  twentieth,  we 


ATHENS ACROPOLIS ENCHANTING    VIEW.  389 

arrive  at  the  Piraeus,  the  port  of  Athens,  and  are 
soon  looking  out  upon  the  soil  of  Greece.  Our  steamer 
remains  here  till  afternoon ;  so  we  get  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  hasten  on  shore,  and  take  carriages  for  the  re- 
nowned city  of  Minerva,  distant  5  miles.  It  is  a  good 
road  through  fields  of  wheat  and  barley,  and  groves 
of  olive,  vine  and  fig.  Soon  the  Acropolis  and  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Athens  are  in  view.  Who  can  des- 
cribe the  associations  they  awaken  of  mighty  men  and 
great  events  in  the  olden  past  ?  We  alighted  near  the 
Temple  of  Theseus,  in  and  around  which  are  numer- 
ous marble  statues  much  broken  and  defaced  ;  but  the 
building  itself  is  tolerably  well  preserved.  We  then 
made  our  way  to  the  Acropolis,  and  ascending  the 
marble  steps  through  the  columns  of  the  Propylon,  or 
grand  gateway,  we  entered  the  Parthenon,  the  beauty 
and  glory  of  all  Grecian  temples  in  its  architecture 
and  situation,  and  still  in  its  shattered  and  ruined 
state  exciting  our  unbounded  admiration.  The  Erech- 
theum.  and  the  Temple  of  Victory,  built  after  the 
battles  of  Marathon  and  Salamis,  are  fine  structures 
near.  The  view  from  the  lofty  and  commanding  site 
of  the  Parthenon  is  enchantingly  beautiful.  The  ex- 
quisite outline  of  the  hills  and  the  graceful  sweep  of 
the  valleys  and  shores  are  indescribable.  There  are 
the  mountains  Pentelicus  and  Hymettus,  the  streams 
Ilissus  and  Cephissus,  the  grove  of  Academus,  and 
farther  off,  in  full  sight,  the  Bay  of  Salamis.  Among 
the  interesting  localities  near  by  are  the  rocky  prison 
in  the  side  of  a  hill  where  Socrates  came  to  his  death, 
and  the  Pnyx,  or  stone  steps,  where  Demosthenes  and 
other  Grecian  orators  were  accustomed  to  address  the 


390  MARS'    HILL DR.    KING — MOUNT    ^ETNA. 

people.  "We  visited  also  the  ruins  of  the  magnificent 
Temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus,  many  of  whose  lofty  Co- 
rinthian columns  still  stand  in  their  beauty  and  gran- 
deur. But  I  was  specially  interested  in  Mars'  Hill, 
only  a  short  distance  northwest  of  the  Acropolis.  We 
ascended  the  sixteen  steps  cut  in  the  solid  rock  to  the 
hewn  platform  where  the  court  of  Areopagus  was 
held.  Up  these  steps  and  to  this  spot  the  Apostle 
Paul  was  conducted,  and  addressed  the  philosophic 
Atheneans  in  a  sublime  discourse  of  the  true  God  and 
of  spiritual  worship.  Here  I  read  to  our  party  the 
sketch  of  that  discourse  in  the  Acts,  and  looked  upon 
Rome  of  the  same  temples  that  he  saw  as  he  declared, 
the  "Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  dwelleth  not  in  tem- 
ples made  with  hands."  Passing  through  the  com- 
pact modern  city,  we  returned  to  the  Piraeus,  accom- 
panied by  the  liev.  Dr.  King,  the  veteran  missionary, 
whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to  meet  on  the  field  of  his 
labors. 

In  the  afternoon  we  resumed  our  voyage,  and  in 
two  days  the  coasts  of  Italy  and  Sicily  were  in  sight. 
We  had  a  fine  view  of  Mount  ^Etna,  looming  up   in 
1ofty  grandeur,  wearing  a  crown  of  snow  plumed  with 
olumn  of  smoke.     We  stopped  a  few  hours  at  Mes- 
«la,  the  place  appearing  much  better  than  it  did  in 
&e  rain  at  a  previous  visit.     But  the  city  was  full  of 
oldiers,  and  the  people  were  greatly  excited,  a  num- 
ber of  them  having  recently  been  shot  down   in   the 
streets.      The   Italian  revolution  was   breaking   out. 
Here  we  reluctantly  parted  with  our  valued  friends, 
ohild  and  Howe,  who  took  another  steamer  for  Na- 
ples and  Rome  to  meet  their  wives  whom  they  had 


MARSEILLES PAKIS ON   THE   OCEAN.  391 

left  on  going  to  the  East,  In  the  evening  as  we  were 
passing  near  Stromboli,  a  tall  conical  mountain,  rising 
out  of  the  sea,  I  walked  the  deck  till  a  late  hour, 
watching  the  occasional  brilliant  eruptions  of  the  vol- 
cano. Our  course  was  between  the  islands  of  Sar- 
dinia and  Corsica,  both  in  view,  and  we  reached  Mar- 
seilles early  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-fifth,  hav- 
ing had  a  fine  voyage. 

After  a  pleasant  walk  over  the  town,  finding  many 
of  its  streets  beautiful  and  its  buildings  elegant,  we 
took  the  railway  for  Paris.  It  was  an  agreeable 
change,  and  the  country  looked  attractive  in  its  ver- 
nal attire.  We  passed  many  fine  towns,  and  some 
old  Roman  ruins.  We  reached  Lyons,  a  large  and 
flourishing  city,  about  sunset,  and  Paris  the  next 
morning  at  half-past  six  o'clock,  passing  Fountain- 
bleau  a  little  after  daylight.  The  gay  capital  of 
France  seemed  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and  a  week's 
tarry  now  only  added  to  its  fascinations.  A  visit  of 
dear  friends  from  Montargis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  M. 
Howell,  was  as  delightful  as  it  was  unexpected,  and 
their  kindness  is  gratefully  remembered. 

A  trip  to  Havre  and  London,  with  some  rural  ex- 
cursions was  greatly  enjoyed,  though  the  passage 
across  the  channel  was  terribly  rough.  On  the  ninth 
of  May,  after  a  visit  to  the  Great  Eastern,  I  embarked 
from  Southampton  on  the  splendid  American  steamer 
Adriatic,  Captain  Comstock.  Of  our  party  in  the 
East  only  Messrs.  "Welch  and  Snyder  were  fellow-pas- 
sengers. I  was  pleased  to  find  Henry  Trowbridge, 
Esq.,  of  New  Haven,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Sawtelle,  of  Havre, 
on  board  ;  and  a  gentleman  remarked  that  we  had  also 


392  AMERICAN   NOBLEMEN — HOME. 

on  the  steamer  three  American  noblemen,  each  a 
prince  in  his  sphere — Mr.  Hoe,  of  the  printing-press, 
Mr.  F.  Harper,  the  publisher,  and  Mr.  Webb,  the 
ship-builder.  We  had  a  quick  and  agreeable  voyage 
over  a  somewhat  rough  sea,  including  one  Sabbath 
with  a  pleasant  religious  service.  It  was  not  quite 
ten  days  when  we  came  up  the  bay  of  New  York,  and 
the  beautiful  verdure  of  Jersey  shore  and  Staten  Is- 
land greeted  our  joyous  vision.  Reaching  the  wharf 
at  noon,  on  the  nineteenth,  familiar  faces  were  a  grate- 
ful sight,  and  soon  it  was  a  blessed  realization  to  be 
with  loved  ones  at  HOME  ! 


VISIT    OF    THE    PRINCE    OF     WALES     TO    THE    CAVE    OF 
MACHPELAH. 

AN  event  which  I  intimated  on  page  236  as  likely  ere 
long  to  occur  has  already  transpired.  The  Mosque 
built  over  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  has  been  opened  to 
others  besides  Moslems.  All  Christians  have  been 
excluded  from  it  for  the  last  six  hundred  years.  The 
following  account  from  the  London  Times  of  the  re- 
cent visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  his  party  to  that 
sacred  locality,  is  of  such  importance  and  interest  to 
Biblical  scholars  and  others,  that  I  insert  it  here  : 

"  JERUSALEM,  April  9,  1862. 

"You,  and  many  others,  will  doubtless  take  a  deep 
interest  in  hearing  that  the  entrance  of  the  Prince  in- 
to the  Mosque  of  Hebron  has  been  effected.  I  will 
not  trouble  you  with  the  long  negotiations  which  pre- 
ceded the  event.  Mr.  Finn,  the  English  Consul  at 
Jerusalem,  had  prepared  the  way  by  requesting  an 
order  from  the  Porte  for  this  purpose.  The  Vizier ial 
letter,  which  was  sent  instead  of  a  Firman,  left  the 
matter  to  the  discretion  of  the  Governor  of  Jeru- 
salem. The  Governor,  as  long  as  he  could,  refused  to 
take  upon  himself  the  responsibility  of  a  step  which 
had  hitherto  no  precedent,  even  in  the  visits  of  royal 
personages.  By  the  mingled  firmness  and  modera- 
tion of  General  Bruce  in  representing  the  Prince's 
wishes,  and,  I  must  add,  through  the  adroitness  of  our 


394  APPENDIX. 

interpreter,  Mr.  Noel  Moore,  the  Governor's  reluc- 
tance was  at  last  overcome  ;  and,  on  condition  that  the 
Prince  should  be  accompanied  only  by  a  very  small 
number,  he  consented  to  guarantee  the  safe  inspection 
of  all  that  was  accessible  to  Mussulmans  themselves. 
On  this  understanding  the  Prince  and  his  suite  pro- 
ceeded to  Hebron.  We  were  joined  by  Dr.  Rosen, 
well  known  to  travelers  in  Palestine  from  his  profound 
knowledge  of  sacred  geography,  and,  in  this  instance, 
doubly  valuable  as  a  companion  from  the  special  at- 
tention which  he  has  paid  to  the  topography  of  Hebron 
and  its  neighborhood.  On  our  arrival  we  found  that 
the  Governor  had  made  every  preparation  for  the 
safety  of  the  experiment.  The  approach  to  the  town 
was  lined  with  troops  ;  guards  were  stationed  on  the 
housetops.  The  royal  party,  which,  by  the  final 
arrangement  of  the  Governor,  comprised  the  members 
of  the  Prince's  immediate  suite,  was  conducted  by  a 
body  of  soldiers  up  to  the  entrance  of  the  sacred  en- 
closure. It  is  possible  that  these  preparations  were 
caused  by  excess  of  caution.  In  point  of  fact,  there 
was  no  appearance  of  disaffection  on  the  part  of  the 
population,  beyond  their  absence  from  the  streets  as 
we  passed ;  nor  was  there  the  slightest  overt  act  of 
hostility  or  insult. 

"  You,  who  know  the  spot  so  well,  will  have  fol- 
lowed us  to  the  point  where  inquiring  travelers  have, 
from  generation  to  generation,  been  checked  in  their 
approach  to  this,  the  most  ancient  and  the  most  au- 
thentic of  all  the  Holy  Places  of  the  Holy  Land.  Let 
me  for  a  moment  recapitulate  its  history.  On  the 
slope  of  that  hill  was,  beyond  all  question,  situated 
the  rock  with  its  double  cave  which  Abraham,  bought 
from  Ephron  the  Hittite,  as  his  earliest  possession  in 
Palestine.  '  There  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah 
his  wife;  there  they  buried  Isaac  and  Rebekah  his 
wife ;  and  there  I  buried  Leah'  (Gen.  xlix.  31) ;  and 
thither,  when  he  himself  died  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile,  his  body,  embalmed  with  all  the  art  of  Egypt, 


APPENDIX.  305 

was  conveyed,  with  a  vast  Egyptian  escort,  to  the 
frontiers  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  deposited,  according 
to  his  dying  wish,  '  with  his  fathers  in  the  cave  that  is 
in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  in  the  cave  that  is 
in  the  field  of  Machpelah,  which  is  before  Mamre,  in 
the  land  of  Canaan.'  (Gen.  xlix.  29,  30.)  Of  all 
the  great  patriarchal  family  Kacliel  alone  is  ab- 
sent, in  the  tomb  selected  for  her  by  Jacob  on  the 
spot  where  she  died  on  the  way  to  Bethlehem.  "We 
are  not  left  to  conjecture  the  reverence  that  was  paid 
to  this  spot  when  the  descendants  of  Abraham  dwelt 
in  that  country  and  occupied  it  as  their  own.  Jose- 
phus  expressly  informs  ns  that  it  was  surrounded  by 
them  by  vast  walls,  existing  even  to  this  day.  That 
these  walls  are  the  massive  enclosures  on  the  exterior 
of  which  so  many  eager  eyes  have  been  fixed  in  our 
own  times  can  hardly  be  doubted.  Their  size,  their 
beveled  frames,  their  agreement  with  the  description 
of  Josephus,  which  became  still  more  conspicuous  as 
we  approached  them  close  at  hand,  and  saw,  more  dis- 
tinctly than  could  have  been  otherwise  possible,  their 
polished,  well-wrought  surface,  accords  with  an  early 
Jewish  origin,  and  with  no  other.  But  beyond  this 
has  hitherto  been  a  matter,  if  not  indeed  of  total  ig- 
norance, yet  of  uncertainty  even  more  provoking  than 
ignorance  in  itself.  From  the  accounts  of  the  pil- 
grims of  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries  we  learn 
that  already  by  that  time  a  Christian  church  had  been 
erected  within  the  Jewish  enclosure.  This  church, 
after  the  expulsion  of  the  Christians  by  the  Mussul- 
mans, was  known  to  have  been  converted  into  a 
mosque.  Whether  the  cave  was  visible  within  the 
building  is  a  matter  on  which  the  mediaeval  visitants 
to  the  spot  vary  so  widely  as  to  leave  ns  in  complete 
doubt.  But  that  it  lay  within  was  never  questioned 
by  any,  whether  Jew  or  Mussulman  ;  and  the  tremen- 
dous sanctity  with  which  these  last  occupants  have 
invested  the  spot  is,  in  fact,  a  living  witness  of  the  un- 
broken local  veneration  with  which  all  three  religions 


396  APPENDIX. 

have  honored  the  great  Patriarch,  whose  title  has,  in 
the  mouths  of  the  native  population,  long  superseded 
the  ancient  appellation  of  '  Hebron,'  now  called  by  no 
other  name  than  c  El-Khalil '— <  The  Friend  of  God.' 
Within  this  sacred  precinct,  accordingly,  for  600  years, 
no  European,  except  by  stealth,  has  ever  set  his  foot. 
Three  accounts  alone  in  modern  times  have  given  any- 
thing like  a  description  of  the  interior — one,  extremely 
brief  and  confused,  by  an  Italian  servant  of  Mr. 
Bankes,  who  entered  in  disguise ;  another  by  an 
English  clergyman  (the  Rev.  Vere  Monro),  who  does 
not,  however,  appear  to  speak  from  his  own  testi- 
mony ;  and  a  third,  more  distinct,  by  Ali  Bey,  a 
Spanish  renegade.  While  the  other  sacred  places  in 
Palestine,  the  mosque  at  Jerusalem  and  the  mosque 
at  Damascus,  have  been  thrown  open  at  least  to  dis- 
tinguished travelers,  this  still  remains,  even  to  royal 
personages,  hermetically  sealed.  To  break  through 
this  mystery,  to  clear  up  this  uncertainty,  even  irres- 
pectively of  the  extraordinary  interest  attaching  to  the 
spot,  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  appear  to  many  an  object 
not  unworthy  of  the  first  visit  of  a  Prince  of  Wales  to 
the  Holy  Land,  and  as  such  it  has  been  felt  by  his 
Royal  Highness  and  by  those  who  have  accompanied 
him  on  the  present  occasion. 

"  To  resume  my  narrative,  which  I  will  confine  as 
much  as  possible  to  such  points  as  need  not  involve  a 
discussion  of  mere  antiquarian  details.  At  the  head 
of  the  staircase,  which  by  its  long  ascent  showed  that 
the  platform  of  the  mosque  was  on  the  uppermost  slope 
of  the  hill,  and,  therefore,  above  the  level  where,  if 
anywhere,  the  sacred  cave  would  be  found,  we  en- 
tered the  precincts  of  the  mosque  itself,  and  were 
received  by  one  of  its  guardians,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  companions  of  Mohammed,  with  the  utmost 
courtesy  on  his  part,  though  not  without  deep  groans 
from  some  of  his  attendants,  redoubled  as  we  moved 
from  one  sacred  spot  to  another.  We  passed  (without 
our  shoes)  through  an  open  court  into  the  mosque. — 


APPENDIX.  397 

With  regard  to  the  building  itself,  two  points  at  once 
became  apparent :  first,  that  it  had  been  originally  a 
Byzantine  church.  To  any  one  acquainted  with  the 
Cathedral  of  ISt.  Sophia  at  Constantinople,  and  with 
the  monastic  churches  of  Mount  Athos,  this  is  evident 
from  the  double  narthex  or  portico,  and  from  the  four 
pillars  of  the  nave.  Secondly,  that  it  had  been  con- 
verted at  a  much  later  period  into  a  mosque.  This  is 
indicated  by  the  pointed  arches,  and  by  the  truncation 
of  the  apse.  This  building  occupies  (to  speak  roughly) 
about  one  third  of  the  platform.  I  proceed  to  describe 
its  relation  to  the  sepulchres  of  the  Patriarchs.  It  is 
the  innermost  of  the  outer  porticos  which  contains  the 
two  first.  In  the  recess  on  the  right  is  the  alleged 
tomb  of  Abraham,  on  the  left  that  of  Sarah,  each 
guarded  by  silver  gates.  The  shrine  containing  the 
tomb  of  Sarah  we  were  requested  not  to  enter,  as  be- 
ing that  of  a  woman.  The  shrine  of  Abraham,  after  a 
momentary  hesitation,  and  with  a  prayer  offered  to  the 
Patriarch  for  permission  to  enter,  was  thrown  open. 
The  chamber  is  cased  in  marble.  The  tomb  consists 
of  a  coffin-like  structure,  like  most  Moslem  tombs, 
built  up  of  plastered  stone  or  marble,  and  hung  with 
carpets — green,  embroidered  with  gold.  The  three 
which  cover  this  tomb  are  said  to  have  been  presented 
by  Mohammed  II.,  Selim  I.,  and  the  late  Sultan  Ab- 
dul Medjid.  I  need  hardly  say  that  this  tomb  (imd 
the  same  remark  applies  to  all  the  others)  does  not 
profess  to  be  more  than  a  cenotaph,  raised  above  the 
actual  grave,  which  lies  beneath.  But  it  was  impossi- 
ble not  to  feel  a  thrill  of  unusual  emotion  at  standing 
in  a  relation  so  near  to  such  a  spot — an  emotion,  I 
may  add,  enhanced  by  the  rare  occasion  which  had 
opened  the  gates  of  that  consecrated  place  (as  the 
guardian  of  the  mosque  expressed  it)  '.  to  no  one  less 
than  the  eldest  son  of  the  Queen  of  England.'  Within 
the  area  of  the  church  or  mosque  were  shown,  in  like 
manner,  the  tombs  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah.  They  dif- 
fered from  the  two  others  in  being  placed  under  sepa- 


398  APPENDIX. 

rate  chapels,  and  closed  not  with  silver,  but  iron  gates. 
To  Rebekah's  tomb  the  same  decorous  rule  of  the  ex- 
clusion of  male  visitors  naturally  applied  as  in  the  case 
of  Sarah's.  But  on  requesting  to  see  the  tomb  of 
Isaac,  we  were  entreated  not  to  enter,  and  on  asking, 
with  some  surprise,  why  an  objection  which  had  been 
conceded  for  Abraham  should  be  raised  in  the  case  of 
his  far  less  eminent  son,  were  answered  that  the  dif- 
ference lay  in  the  character  of  the  two  Patriarchs: — 

"  '  Abraham  was  full  of  loving  kindness ;  he  had 
withstood  even  the  resolution  of  God  against  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah ;  he  was  goodness  itself,  and  would 
overlook  any  affront.  But  Isaac  was  proverbially 
jealous,  and  it  was  exceedingly  dangerous  to  exasper- 
ate him.  When  Ibrahim  Pasha  (as  conqueror  of  Pal- 
estine) had  endeavored  to  enter,  lie  had  been  driven 
out  by  Isaac,  and  fell  back  as  if  thunderstruck.' 

"  The  chapel,  in  fact,  contains  nothing  of  interest ; 
but  I  mention  this  story  both  for  the  sake  of  the  sin- 
gular sentiment  which  it  expresses,  and  also  because 
it  well  illustrates  the  peculiar  feeling  which  (as  we 
are  told)  had  tended  to  preserve  the  sanctity  of  the 
place — an  awe  amounting  to  terror  of  the  great  per- 
sonages who  lay  beneath,  and  who  would,  it  was  sup- 
posed, be  sensitive  to  any  disrespect  shown  to  their 
graves,  and  revenge  it  accordingly. 

"The  tombs  of  Jacob  and  Leah  were  shown  in  re- 
cesses corresponding  to  those  of  Abraham  and  Sarah, 
but  in  a  separate  cloister,  opposite  the  entrance  of  the 
mosque.  Against  Leah's  tomb,  as  seen  through  the 
grate,  two  green  banners  reclined,  the  origin  and 
meaning  of  which  were  unknown.  The  gates  of  Ja- 
cob's shrine  were  opened  without  difficulty,  but  it  calls 
for  110  special  remark. 

Thus  far  the  monuments  of  the  mosque  adhere 
strictly  to  the  biblical  account,  as  given  above.  The 
variation  which  follows  rests,  as  I  am  informed  by  Dr. 
Rosen,  on  the  general  tradition  of  the  country  (justi- 
fied perhaps,  by  an  ambiguous  exuression  in  Jose- 


APPENDIX.  399 

pirns),  that  the  bo'dy  of  Joseph,  after  having  been 
deposited  first  at  Shechem  (Joshua  xxiv.  32),  was 
subsequently  transported  to  Hebron.  But  the  pecu- 
liar situation  of  this  alleged  tomb  agrees  with  the  ex- 
ceptional character  of  the  tradition.  It  is  in  a  domed 
chamber  attached  to  the  enclosure  from  the  outside, 
and  reached,  therefore,  by  an  aperture  broken  through 
the  massive  wall  itself,  and  thus  visible  on  the  exte- 
rior of  the  southern  side  of  the  wall.  It  is  less  costly 
than  the  others,  and  it  is  remarkable  that,  although 
the  name  of  his  wife,  (according  to  the  Mussulman 
version,  Zuleika)  is  inserted  in  the  certificates  given  to 
pilgrims  who  have  visited  the  mosque,  no  grave  hav- 
ing that  appellation  is  shown.  No  other  tombs  were 
exhibited  in  the  mosque.  Two,  resembling  those  of 
Isaac  and  Rebekah,  which  were  seen  (by  one  of  our 
party  only)  within  an  adjacent  smaller  mosque,  were 
afterwards  explained  to  us  as  merely  ornamental. 

u  It  will  be  seen  that  up  to  this  ]x>int  no  mention 
has  been  made  of  the  subject  of  the  greatest  interest 
to  all  of  us — namely,  the  sacred  cave  itself  in  which 
one  at  least  of  the  patriarchal  family  may  still  be  be- 
lieved to  repose  intact— -the  embalmed  body  of  Jacob. 
It  may  be  well  supposed  that  to  this  object  our  inqui- 
ries were  throughout  directed.  One  indication  alone 
of  the  cavern  beneath  was  visible.  In  the  interior  of 
the  mosque,  at  the  corner  of  the  shrine  of  Abraham, 
was  a  small  circular  hole,  about  eight  inches  across, 
of  which  one  foot  above  the  pavement  was  built  of 
strong  masonry,  but  of  which  the  lower  part,  as  far  as 
we  could  see  and  feel,  was  of  the  living  rock.  This 
cavity  appeared  to  open  into  a  dark  space  beneath, 
and  that  space  (which  the  guardians  of  the  mosque  be- 
lieved to  extend  under  the  whole  platform),  can  hardly 
be  anything  else  than  the  ancient  cavern  of  Maclipe- 
lah.  This  was  the  only  aperture  which  the  guardians 
recognized.  Once,  they  said,  twenty -five  hundred 
years  ago,  a  servant  of  a  great  king  had  penetrated 
through  some  other  entrance.  He  descended  in  full 


400  APPENDIX. 

possession  of  Iris  faculties,  and  of  remarkable  corpu- 
lence ;  he  returned  blind,  deaf,  withered,  and  crippled. 
Since  then  the  entrance  was  closed,  and  this  aperture 
alone  was  left,  partly  for  the  sake  of  allowing  a  lamp 
to  be  let  down,  by  a  chain  wnich  we  saw  suspended 
at  the  mouth,  to  burn  upon  the  sacred  grave.  We 
asked  whether  it  could  not  be  lighted  now.  c  No,7 
they  said ;  t  the  saint  likes  to  have  a  lamp  at  night, 
but  not  in  the  full  daylight.  With  that  glimpse  into 
the  dark  void  we  and  the  world  without  must  be  con- 
tent to  be  satisfied.  Other  entrances  may  exist, 
or  have  existed,  and  the  knowledge  we  have  acquired 
of  the  different  parts  of  the  platform  would  enable  us 
to  indicate  the  points  where  such  apertures  might  be 
expected.  But  for  the  present  it  was  the  full  convic- 
tion of  those  of  the  party  best  qualified  to  judge  that 
no  other  entrance  is  known  to  the  Mussulmans  them- 
selves. The  unmistakable  terror  to  which  I  have  be- 
fore alluded  is  of  itself  a  guarantee  that  they  would 
not  enter  into  the*  cave  if  they  could,  and  the  general 
language  of  the  Arabic  histories  of  the  mosque  is  in 
the  same  direction. 

"  The  results  of  the  Prince's  visit  may,  perhaps,  be 
disappointing  to  you  and  to  those  who  hoped  for  a 
more  direct  solution  of  the  mysteries  of  Hebron.  But 
they  are,  I  am  convinced,  all  that  can  at  present  be 
obtained,  and  I  will,  in  conclusion,  draw  attention  to 
two  or  three  indirect  benefits  which  may  be  derived 
from  the  use  which  has  been  made  of  this  great  oppor- 
tunity. In  the  first  place,  by  our  entrace,  the  first 
step  lias  been  taken  for  the  removal  of  this  bar  of  ex- 
clusion from  this  most  sacred  and  interesting  spot. 
Had  the  Prince  and  his  advisers  shrunk  from  pressing 
the  claim  which  the  Turkish  Government  had  con- 
ceded, or  had  the  Pacha  of  Jerusalem  persisted  in  re- 
pudiating the  responsibility  which  his  Government 
thre\v  upon  him,  the  doors  of  the  mosque  would  have 
been  closed  with  a  still  firmer  hold  than  before.  As 
it  is,  although  the  relaxation  may  be  slight  and  gradual, 


APPENDIX.  401 

and  although  the  advantage  gained  must  be  used  with 
the  utmost  caution  and  forbearance,  yet  it  is  impossi- 
ble not  to  feel  that  some  effect  will  be  produced  even 
on  the  devotees  of  Hebron  when  they  feel  that  the 
Patriarchs  have  not  suffered  any  injury  or  affront,  and 
that  even  Isaac  rests  tranquilly  in  his  grave.  And 
Englishmen  may  fairly  rejoice  that  this  advance  in 
the  cause  of  religious  tolerance  and  of  Biblical  know- 
ledge has  been  attained  in  the  person  of  the  heir  to 
the  English  throne,  out  of  regard  to  the  position  which 
he  and  his  country  hold  in  the  Eastern  world. 

"  In  the  second  place,  it  will  be  a  considerable  gain 
to  future  inquirers  that  a  survey  of  the  mosque  has 
been  taken  (however  imperfectly)  by  persons  who  saw 
it  not  in  disguise,  or  by  stealth,  but  at  leisure,  and 
with  their  attention  tixed  on  the  objects  most  to  be 
sought  for.  Perhaps  the  above  account  contains  little 
more  than  might  be  gleaned  from  those  of  the  early 
pilgrims,  or  of  Ali  Bey.  (The  latter  narrative  in  par- 
ticular is,  as  you  will  see,  substantially  corroborated.) 
But  it  enables  us  to  understand  them  better,  to  correct 
their  deficiencies,  and  to  rectify  their  confusion.  To 
do  this  in  the  present  letter  would  require  more  time 
and  space  than  I  can  command ;  but  1  am  surprised  to 
find  how  much  light  this  short  inspection  has  thrown 
on  passages  which  before  seemed  to  me  irrecoverably 
dark.  Dr.  Rosen,  you  will  also  be  glad  to  hear,  has, 
with  the  help  of  one  of  our  party,  constructed  a  ground 
plan  of  the  whole  platform,  and  I  trust  that  these  re- 
sults, in  his  hands,  and  in  the  hands  of  other  Biblical 
students,  will  serve  to  render  the  Prince's  visit  not 
merely  an  occasion  to  be  long  remembered  with  grat- 
itude by  those  whose  entrance  was  thus  facilitated,  but 
a  real  advance  in  the  knowledge  of  this  world-re- 
nowned spot.  The  existence  and  exact  situation  of 
the  cave,  the  closer  view  of  the  ancient  enclosure  with- 
in and  without,  the  origin  and  arrangements  of  the 
mosque,  the  precise  relation  of  the  different  tombs  to 
each  other,  and  the  general  conformity  of  the  traditions 


402  APPENDIX. 

of  the  mosque  to  the  accounts  of  the  Bible  and  of  the 
early  travelers,  are  now  for  the  first  time  clearly  ascer- 
tained. To  explore  the  recesses  of  the  cave  and  to 
discover  within  them  (if  so  be)  the  embalmed  remains 
of  Jacob,  must  be  reserved  for  another  generation,  for 
which  this  visit  will  have  been  the  preparation. 

"  P.  8.  It  may  be  observed  that  the  shrines  of 
Isaac  and  Eebekah,  standing  as  they  do  in  the  center 
of  the  mosque,  occupy  a  position  altogether  unusual  in 
Mussulman  buildings,  where  the  corners  are  the  places 
of  honorable  burial.  This  and  their  peculiar  structure 
would  lead  us  to  suppose  that  they  stand  on  the  exact 
sites  described  by  the  early  Christian  pilgrims.  The 
belief  of  the  guardians  of  the  mosque  is  that  the  mas- 
sive enclosure  was  built  by  genii  under  the  direction 
of  Solomon.  The  mosque  they  ascribe  to  the  Egyptian 
Sultan  Kalarun.  They  account  for  the  tomb  of  Jo- 
seph by  saying  that  his  body  was  buried  in  the  Nile 
for  1,005  years,  after  which  the  secret  was  revealed  to 
Moses  by  an  Egyptian  on  condition  that  Moses  should 
marry  his  daughter.  Moses  did  so,  and  carried  off  the 
body  to  Hebron.  It  would  seem  from  the  account  of 
Arcnlf  that  there  were  seven  tombs  there  in  his  day, 
but  that  the  seventh  was  that  of  Adam.  The  tradition 
of  Adam's  burial  in  Hebron,  however,  appears  to  be  a 
Christian  (not  a  Mussulman)  tradition,  founded  only 
on  the  Yulgate.  It  occurred  both  to  Dr.  Kosen  and 
myself  that  Arculf's  expression  about  the  low  wall 
(humili  murd)  might  be  explained  by  his  having  seen 
it  only  from  the  inside  of  the  platform,  whereas 
modern  travelers  have  seen  it  only  from  the  outside, 
where  its  height  is  much  more  striking. 


INDEX  OF  BIBLE  PLACES. 


THIS  Index  embraces  every  Scripture  Place  mentioned  in  this  work,  generally 
with  a  definition  (in  parenthesis) ,  and  the  present  Arabic  name  in  italics,  and 
with  topics  and  Bible  references  of  the  place  or  of  passages  quoted  in  connexion 
with  it.  Terms  explained  :  'Ain,  En,  fountain  ;  Beit,  Beth,  house  ;  Jebel,  moun- 
tain ;  Khan,  caravansary;  Neby,  prophet;  Tell,  hill;  Wady,  valley;  Wely, 
saint's  tomb. 


Abarim  (regions  beyond),  mountains 

of.  '253,  Num.  xxxiii.  48. 
Absalom's  Pillar.  220,  '2  Sam.  xviii.  18. 
Accho  (heated sand), Acre,  'Akka,  plain 

of,   368  ;  town  and  fortress  of,  869  ; 

Jud.  i.  31. 
Aceldama   (field  of  blood),  217,  Mat. 

xxvii.  8  ;  Acts  i.  19. 
Achor  (trouble),  Wady  el-Kelt,  valley  of. 

261,  266  ;  Josh.  vii.  24-26. 
Achzib   (deceitful),    es-Zib,   370,    Josh. 

xix.  29. 
Adullam   (for   concealment),  cave  of, 

232, 1  Sam.  xxii.  1. 
Adummim  (red  or  bloody) ,  pass  of,  266  : 

road  from  Jeiusalem  to  Jericho,  267  : 

Josh.  xv.  7,  xviii.  17  ;  Luke  x.  30-37. 
Ai,  Hai,    Aiath    (ruins),    Td-el-Hajar? 

battle  of,  291,  Josh.  viii.  1-29. 
Ajalon  (field  of  deer),   Yalo,  valley  of, 

199,  Josh.  x.  12. 
Alexandria,  Iskanderieh,  144-150;  wcmen 

f  rinding  at  a  mill,  148  ;  Acts  xxvii. 
;  Mat.  xxiv.  41. 
Allon-bachuth   (oak  of  weeping),  290, 

Gen.  xxxv.  8. 
Ammon  (son  of  my  people),  mountains 

of,  253,  Num.  xxi.  24. 
Anathoth  (answers),  Anata.  birthplace 

of  Jeremiah,  284,  Jer.  xxix.  27. 
Arimathea,  Ramleh?  home  of  Joseph, 

198  ;  women  weeping  at  a  grave  in . 

199  ;  Mat.  xxvii.  57  ;  John  xi.  31. 
Armageddon  (mountain  of  Megiddo), 

339,  Rev.  xvi.  16. 
Ascalon  (migration),  Askulan,  197,  Jud. 

xiv.  19. 
Ashdod,Azotus  (stronghold),  Usdud.IQT, 

1  Sam.  v.l. 

Asher  (happiness),  position  and  rich- 
ness of,  366,  370,  Deut.  xxxiii.  24. 
Athens,  temples,  beautiful  site  of,  389  ; 

Paul's  discourse  at  Mars'  Hill,  390, 

Acts  xvii.  15-34. 
Baal  zephon  (place  of  Typhon) ,  Suez  f 

188,  Ex.  xiv  2. 


iBashan  (fruitful) .  Bottein,  mountains  of, 

I     328,  Ps.  Ixviii.  15. 

Beeroth  (wells),  Bireh,  village  and  tra- 
dition of,  287,  Josh.  ix.  17  ;  Luke  ii. 
44,45. 

Benjamin  (son  of  my  right  hand), 
heights  and  passes  of,  283  ;  aspect  of, 
284,  Josh,  xviii.  11-13. 

Berachah  (blessing) ,  Berikirt,  valley  of, 
battle  at,  233,  2Chron.  xx.  26. 

Bethany  (h'  use  of  dates),  Lazarieh,  walk 
to,  house  of  Martha  and  Mary  and  of 
Simon,  222  ;  tomb  of  Lazarus,  223  ; 
Jesus  at,  268  ;  His  ascension,  269  ; 
John  xi.  1-38  ;  Luke  xxiv.  50. 

Bethaven  (house  of  iniquity) ,  changed 
from  Bethel,  291,  Hos.  x.  5. 

Bethel  (house  of  God),  Beitin,  site  and 
associations  of,  288  ;  reservoir,  Abra- 
ham and  Lot  at,  289  ;  Jacob's  vision, 
death  of  Deborah  at,  290  ;  sanctuary 
and  temple  of,  291 ;  Gen.  xii.  8  ;  xiii. 
10-12  ;  xxviii.  11-19  ;  xxxv.  6,  7  ; 
1  Kings  xii.  28-32  ;  Amos  v.  6. 

Bethesda  (house  of  mercy),  pool  of, 
279,  John  v.  2. 

Bethlehem  (house  of  bread),  BeitLdhm, 
situation  of,  227, 242  ;  tomb  of  Rachel, 
228  ;  fields  of  Boaz  and  the  shepherds, 
242  ;  Church  of  the  Nativity,  tombs 
of  Pa*ula  and  Jerome,  243  ;  the  stable 
and  manger,  birth  of  Christ,  244  ;  city 
of  David,  245  ;  Gen.  xxxv.  19  ;  Ruth 
ii.  4 ;  1  Sam.  xvi.  11  ;  Mat.  ii.  2,  16 ; 
Lukeii.  8,11;  1  Chron.  xi.  17;  Mic.  v.  2. 

Beth-horon  (house  of  caves),  Beit  'Ur. 
199,  285  ;  Josh.  X.  11. 

Beth-peor  (house  of  opening),  tomb  of 
Moses,  248  ;  Deut.  xxxiv.  6. 

Bethsaida  (house  of  fisheries)  ,BeitSaida, 
site  of,  not  two  Bethsaidas,  348  ;  John 
i.  44  ;  Luke  ix.  10. 

Bethshean,  Bethshan  (house  of  rest), 
Beisan,  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons 
fastened  to  walls  of,  328  ;  1  Sam. 
xxxi.  12. 


INDEX    OF   BIBLE   PLACES. 


Beth-shemesh  (house  of  the  sun) ,  'Ain 
esh-Shems,  200, 1  Sam.  vi.  20, 21. 

Bethzur  (house  of  the  rock),  Beit  Sur 
233  ;  Josh.  xv.  58. 

Calvary  (a  skull) ,  position  of,  203  ;  Via 
Dolorosa,  208  ;  a  new  discovery  con- 
firming traditional  site  of,  209  ;  cov- 
ered by  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, 210  ;  scene  of  the  crucifixion. 
211  ;  John  xix.  4,  5  ;  Luke  xxiii.  33! 
28,  35  ;  Mat.  xxvii.  54. 

Cana  (zeal) ,  Kefr  Kenna,  appearance  of. 
the  marriage  and  miracle,  359  ;  foun- 
tain at,  360;  John  ii.  1-1  l,iv.  46,  xxi.  2. 

Canaan  (lowland),  Israelites'  entrance 
to  land  of,  '^55  ;  Abraham's  first  tent 
in,  301 ;  Joseph's  rich  possession  in 
the  heart  of,  311;  Gen.  xii.  6,  xlix.  22. 

Capernaum  (village  of  Nahum),  Tell 
Hum,  suburbs  of,  Tabiga,  318,  home 
of  Jesus,  and  scenes  in  His  ministry, 
349  ;  situation  of  favorable  for  His  la- 
bors, 349-351;  Mat.  iv.  13, 19,  25,  xi.  23. 

Carmel  (a  park),  Mount,  JebelMarElias, 
seen  from  Tabor,  337  ;  trial  of  Baal  at, 
339  ;  view  of  Convent  on,  367  ;  thun- 
der storm  upon,  368  ;  Jer.  xlvi.  18  ; 
1  Kings  xviii.  19-45. 

Cherith  (cutting),  Kelt,  brook,  Elijah 
at,  260;  1  Kings,  xvii.  3. 

Chinnereth,  Chinneroth,  Cinneroth,  see 
Gennesaret,347.  Num.xxxiv.il. 

Cyprus,  landing  at  island  of,  383;  Paul's 
labors  at,  384  ;  Acts  iv.  36,  xiii.  7,8, 
xxi.  16. 

Daberath  (a  word),  Deburieh,  exploits 
of  Feborah,  333  ;  Josh.  xix.  12  ;  Jud. 
iv.  15. 

Dan  (a  judge),  Joppa  a  city  of,  194; 
Josh.  xix.  46. 

Dead  Sea,  see  Salt  Sea,  248. 

Decapolis  (ten  cities) ,  situation  of,  357  ; 
Mat.  iv.  25. 

Dothan  (two  cisterns),  Tell  Dothain,  fine 
pasture-grounds,  conspiracy  against 
Joseph,  pits  or  dry  cisterns,  320  ;  Ish- 
maelite  caravans,  Elisha  and  the  ce- 
lestial army,  321  ;  Gen.  xxxvii.  20 ; 
Jer.  xli.  8  ;  2  Kings  vi.  14-17. 

Ebal  (stony) ,  Mount,  Imad  el-Deyi  (pil- 
lar of  religion) ,  299  ;  cursings  pro- 
nounced on,  306  ;  Josh.  viii.  33  ;  Deut. 
xi.  29,  xxvii.  13. 

Ebenezer  (stone  of  help),  200,  1  Sam. 
vii.  12. 

Egypt  (limit) ,  land  of,  144  :  brick-mak- 
ing in,  158  ;  watering  with  the  foot, 
164  ;  "  the  river  of  Egypt,"  162, 178  ; 
Gen.  xli.  41,  xv.  18  ;  Deut.  xi.  10. 

Ekron  (eradication),  'Akir,  197,  Josh, 
xiii.  3.  » 

Emmaus  (hot  baths) ,  Amivas,  199  ;  prob- 
able site  of,  200,  Luke  xxiv.  13. 

Endor  (fount  of  dwelling),  Endur,  situ- 
ation of,  Saul  and  the  witch,  332  ; 
Josh.  xvii.  11  ;  1  £am.  xxviii.  7-25. 


En-gannim  (fountain  of  gardens),  Je- 
nin,  gardens,  cactus-hedges  and  foun- 
tain of,  323  ;  a  wounded  king  fled  to- 
ward, 327;  Josh.  xxi.  28,  29;  2  Kings 
ix.  27. 

En-gedi  (fountain  of  the  kid),  >Ain  Jidy, 
hills  of,  238  ;  "  wilderness  of,"  248  ; 

1  Sam.  xxiv.  1. 

En-Ilogel  (fuller's  fountain) ,  Beer  Eyub, 
well  of,  218  ;  Josh.  xv.  7,  8  ;  2  Sam. 
xvii.  17  ;  1  Kings,  i.  9. 

En-shemesh  (fountain  of  the  sun) ,  'Ain 
el-Haud,  waters  of,  268  ;  Josh.  xv.  7. 

Ephraim  (double  land),  territory  and 
fertility  of,  293 , 299 ;  village  of  Yebrud , 
293;  Fountainof  Robbers,  294;  moun- 
tains and  fruitfulness  of,  299,  311  ; 
Deut.  xxxiii.  14, 15;  Gen.  xlix.  22,  26. 

Ephrath  (land),  tomb  of  Eachel,  228  ; 
Gen.  xlviii.  7. 

Eschol  (cluster),  valley,  brook  and  fine 
vineyards  of,  234 ;  grape  slips  from, 
241  ;  Num.  xiii.  23,  24  ;  Mat.  xxi.  33. 

Etam  (place  of  wild  beasts),  Urtas,  vale 
Of,  242  ;  2  Chron.  xi.  6. 

Fountain  of  Elisha,  'Ain  es-Sultan,  264, 

2  Kings  ii.  19-22. 

Fountain  sealed,"  229,  Cant.  iv.  12. 

Galilee  (circle),  Jeliel,  province  of,  323, 
3/4  ;  Mat.  iv.  15. 

Galilee,  Sea  of,  Tubariyeh,  first  view  of, 
from  Tabor,  335  ;  banks  of,  342  ;  beach 
and  fish  of,  345;  complete  view  of, 
3J8  ;  tempests  on,  351  ;  Sabbath  ser- 
vices at,  352  ;  last  view  of,  353  ;  Mat. 
viii.  32,  iv.  18, 19  :  John  vi.  17-20,  xxi. 
1,5-13. 

Gath  (  a  press),  Beit  Jibrin,  197,  2  Sam. 
i.  20  ;  Amos  vi.  2. 

Saza  (strength) .  Guzzeh,  197,  Jud.  xvi.  1. 

&eba  (a  hill),  Jeba,  287,  Isa.  x.  29. 

jrerizim  (separated) ,  Mount,  Jebel  d-Tur, 
299,  300 ;  blessings  pronounced  on, 
306  ;  ascent  of,  308  ;  Samaritan  tem- 
ple and  shrines  on,  309;  fine  view  from 
top  of,  300  ;  Deut.  xi.  29,  xxvii.  15  ; 
Josh.  viii.  33  ;  John  iv.  20. 

jennesaret,  Lake  of.  see  Galilee,  Sea 
of,  Luke  v.  1. 

Srennesaret  (garden  for  the  prince) ,  el- 
Ghuweir,  land  or  plain  of,  345  ;  fertil- 
ity, trees,  birds  of,  346  ;  streams  of, 
scenes  of  Christ's  teaching,  347  ;  Mat. 
xiv.  34,  iv.  21,  xiii. 

Gethsemane  (oil-press),  Dschesmaniye, 
garden  of,  274,  aged  olive  trees  in, 
275  ;  services  and  emotions  in,  277 ; 
lessons  of,  278  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  36-46 ; 
John  xviii.  1. 

ibeah  (a  hill) ,  Tel-el-Fulil,  birthplace 
of  Saul,  Rizpah's  grief,  286  ;  1  Sam. 
xv.  34  ;  Jud.  xix.,  2  Sam.  xxi.  9, 10. 

Gibeon  (a  hill) ,  el-Jib,  site  of,  284  ;  his- 
tory of,  285  ;  Josh.  x.  12  ;  2  Sam.  ii. 
13-16,  xx.  8,9. 

Glhon  (a  stream) ,  Lower  Pool  of,  Sir- 


INDEX    OF    BIBLE    PLACES. 


405 


ket  es-Sultan,  217  ;  UppeT  Pool  of,  Bir- 
Tcet  el-Mamilla,  272  ;  Isa.  xxii.  9,  vii.  3  ; 
2  Chron.  xxxii.  20. 

Gilboa  (welling up),  Mount,  JdyelJilbon, 
appearance  of,  326  ;  fountain  at ,  vie 
tory  of  Gideon,  defeat  of  Saul  at,  328  ; 
2  Sam.  i.  21  ;  Jud.  vii.  5-20. 

Gilead,  Mount  (heap  of  witness),  Jebel 
Jil'ad,  311,  3-28,  Gen.  xxxi.  21, 

Gilgal  (rolling),  camp  and  tabernacle 
at,  261  ;  history  of,  262  ;  Josh.  iv.  19  ; 
1  Sam.  xv.  33. 

Golgotha  (place  of  a  skull) ,  210 ;  see 
Calvary. 

Gomorrah  (submersion), 250,  2ol ;  Gen. 
xiii.  lO.xix.  18. 

Goshen,  land  of,  given  to  Jacob  and  his 
family,  156, 158  ;  Gen.  xlvii.  6. 

Halhul  (praise),  Hulhul,  233,  Josh, 
xv.  58. 

Hammath  (warm  springs),  a  hot  bath, 
344  ;  Josh.  xix.  35. 

Hebron  (society),  Hebrun  or  el-Khulil, 
234  ;  Pool  of  David,  Cave  of  Machpe- 
lah,  235,  393-402  ;  tent-life  at,  237  ; 
history  of,  239  ;  Gen.  xxiii.  19,  xiii.  18. 

Hermon  (summit),  Mount,  Jebel  esh- 
Sheihh,  view  of  from  Tabor,  337 ;  from 
Sea  of  Galilee,  343  ;  from  hill  of  Naz- 
areth, 365  ;  Ps.  Ixxxix.  12. 

Hezekiah  (strength  of  the  Lord).  Pool 
of,  Birktit  el-Hummam,  203  ;  2  Kings 
xx.  20. 

Hinnom  (gratuitous).  Valley  of,  217; 
rites  of  Moloch  in,  218  ;  Josh.  xv.  8  ; 
Jer.  xxxii.  35. 

Issacher  (there  is  reward),  aspect  of, 
324  ;  character  of,  326  ;  Jud.  v.  15  ; 
Gen.  xlix.  14. 

Jabbok  (outpouring),  Zerka,  river,  311, 
Gen.  xxx.  22  ;  I  cut.  ii.  37. 

Jacob's  Well,  Sir  es-Samaria,  300 ;  his- 
tory of,  301,  302  ;  Jesus  at,  303  ;  Gen. 
xxxiii.  19,  xxxvii.  15  ;  John  iv.  3-43. 

Jehoshaphat  (God-judged),  Valley  of, 
204,  219  ;  tombs  in,  220  ;  Joel  iii.  2, 1*. 

Jericho  (fragrant  land),  Riha,  site  of, 
house  of  Zaccheus,260;  visits  of  Christ 
to,  Quarantania,  2t'2  ;  "  City  of  Palm 
Trees,"  265  ;  road  to,  "  good  Samari- 
tan,1' 267  ;  Josh.  ii.  1 ,  22  ;  Mark  x.  46  ; 
Deut.  xxxiv.  3  ;  Luke  x.  30,  xix.  1. 

Jerusalem  (habitation  of  peace),  cZ- 
Khuds  (the  Holy),  first  view  of,  200  ; 
entering  gates  of,  201 ;  Tower  of  Da- 
vid, 202,  *bO  ;  city  and  walls,  203,  282  ; 
seen  from  Olivet,  205  ;  House  of  Pi- 1 
late,  207,  280;  Temple  area,  208;  Holy 
Sepulchre,  211,  212  ;  visit  to  a^yna-l 
gogue,  213 ;  Jews'  Wailing  Place. 
214  ;  remains  of  a  great  arch,  215  ; 
Jews'  quarter,  lepers,  Palace  of  Caia- 
phas,  tomb  of  David,  Crenaculum, 
216;  American  Cemetery,  217;  Golden 
Gate,  221  ;  Hill  of  Evil  Council,  225  ; 
Eoly  City  past  and  present,  270 ; 


tombs  of  the  kings,  272  ;  old  quarry 
under  the  hill  Bezetha,  273  ;  stones  of 
the  temple  walls,  tomb  of  the  Virgin, 
274  ;  St.  Stephen's  gate,  278;  last  view 
from  Scopus,  281  ;  Ps.  cxxii.  2,  3  ;  Isa. 
Ixiv.  10  ;  1  Kings  x.  5  ;  Ps.  Ixxxvii. 
1-3  ;  xlviii.  12. 13  ;  Lam.  i.  1  ;  1  Kings 
vi.  7  ;  Ps.  xlviii.  2,  cxxxvii.  5,  cii.  14. 

Jezreel  (God  Avill  sow),  Esdraelon, 
Merj  Ibin  'Amir,  plain  of,  324;  bounda- 
ries of,  325  ;  scenes  of  battles,  326  ; 
view  of  from  Tabor,  336  ;  Jud.  iv.  15, 
vii.  20  ;  2  Chron.  xxxv.  22-25. 

Jezreel,  Zerin,  site  of  the  city,  palace  of 
Ahab,  Xaboth's  vineyard,  3-z7  ;  death 
of  Jezebel,  328  ;  Bedawin  camp,  329  ; 
1  Kings  xxi.  ;  2  Kings  ix.  20-27,  x.  7  ; 
Cant.  i.  5. 

Joppa,  Japho  (beauty),  Yafa,  191,  situ- 
ation, houses,  streets  of,  192;  house- 
top, house  of  Simon  the  tanner,  oran- 
ges, 193  ;  gate,  history  of,  194;  Peter's 
vision,  Dorcas,  195  ;  2  Chron.  ii.  16  ; 
Acts  x.  6-17,  ix.  36-39. 

Jordan  (descender) ,  Sheriatd-Kebir,  riv- 
er, 252  ;  passage  of  the  Israelites,  255  ; 
prophets  of,  256  ;  baptism  of  Christ, 
257  ;  bathing  of  pilgrims,  258  ;  Josh, 
iii.  16  ;  2  Kings  ii.  1-14  ;  Mat,  iii.  4-17. 

Joseph's  Tomb,  301,  305,  Gen.  1.  25  ; 
Josh,  xxiv  32. 

Judah,  Judea  (celebrated),  "wilder- 
ness of,"  206,  268  ;  '•  hill  country"  of, 
2oJ  ;  Mat.  iii.  1  ;  Luke  i.  39,  65. 

Kidron,  Cedron  (turbid),  brook,  bed  of. 
204,  219  ;    David  passing  over,  222  ; 
gorge  of  at  Mar  Saba,  246,  valley  of, 
281  ;  2  Sam.  xv.  23  ;  John  xviii.  1. 
King's  Garden,"  2  9,  Neh.  iii.  15. 

Kirjath-Arba  (city  of  Arba),  see  Heb- 
ron, 239. 

Kirjath-jearim  (city  of  forests) ,  Kuryet 
el-' Snob,  Ark  at  house  of  Abinadab, 
200, 1  Sam.  vii.  1. 

Kishon  (winding) ,  Mukutta,  river,  a 
source  of,  323,  324;  course  of,  325; 
fatal  to  Sisera's  army ,  333  ;  Jud.  v.  21. 

Lebanon  (whiteness),  Libnan,  moun- 
tains of,  324,  370,  380  ;  Hos.  xiv.  5  ; 
Jer.  xviii.  14. 

Lebonah   (frankmcense),  LuWan,   295, 

»  297  ;  Jud.  xxi.  19. 

Lod,  Lydda  (strife),  Ludd,  Peter  heal- 
ing Eneas,  197  ;  1  Chron.  viii.  12  ; 
Acts  ix.  32-35. 

Luz  (almond),  290,  changed  to  Bethel, 
Gen.  xxviii.  19. 

Machpelah  (portion),  el-Haram,  Cave 
of,  i35,  236  ;  Jews  at,  240  ;  Prince  of 
Wales'  visit  to,  393-402  ;  Gen.  xxiii. 
17  ;  xlix.  29-31. 

Magdala  (tower),  Mejdel,  home  of  Mary 
Magdalene,  346;  Mat,  xv.  39,  xxvii.  56. 

Mamre  (fertile),  plain  of,  237,  239, 
Abraham's  oak,  240  ;  Gen.  xiii.  18, 
xviii.  1-8. 


406 


INDEX    OF   BIBLE    FLACES. 


Manasseh    (a   forgetter),  territory  of. 

318,  323,  hills  and  passes  of.   23;  Deut: 

xxxiii.  17. 
Megiddo  (a  place  of  troops) ,  Lejjun,  site 

and  battles  of,  326  ;  death  of  Ahasiah 

at,  32S  ;  Jud.  v,  19  ;  2  Kings  xxiii. 

•29,  oO. 

Megiddo,  Valley  of,  see  Jezreel,  325. 
Memphis   (grave  of  the  good),  Noph, 

ruined  images   of,    182,  Hos.  ix.   6  ; 

Ezek.  xxx.  13. 
Merom   (elevation),  Huleh,  waters  of, 

370,  Josh.  xi.  7. 
Michmash  (hiding-place) ,  Mukmas,  2S7. 

Isa.  x  28. 

Migdol  (tower),  site  of,  188,  Ex.  xiv.  2. 
Misrephoth-maim  (glowings  by  the  wa 

ters),  Ras  el-Musheirifeh,  view   from 

370,  Josh.  xi.  8. 
Mitylene,  386,  Acts  xx.  14. 
Mizpeh  (watchtower) ,  Nelnj  Samwil,  200 


206,  scenes  of,    284  ; 
I  Sam.  x.  17-24. 


Jud.    xx.    1-3 


Moab  (of  his  father) ,  mountains  of,  206 
•253  ;  Num.  xxii.  41. 

Moreh  (teacher) ,  MukJina,  beautiful  rich 
plain  of,  299,  310  ;  armed  natives  of 
^•OJ  ;  Gen.  xii.  6,  7. 

Moriah  (chosen  of  Jehovah),  Mount 
appearance  of  Temple  area,  i08 
events  of,  280  ;  Gen.  xxii.  2  ;  2  Chron 
iii.  1. 

Mount  of  Beatitudes,  Kurun  Hattin,  ser- 
moii  on  the  mount,  357  ;  Safed  seen 
from,  Battle  of  Hattin,  358  ;  Mat.  iv. 
25,  v.  1,14,  vi.  26-30. 

Mount  of  Olives,  Jebel  el-Tur,  first  view 
of,  200  ;  position  of,  203  ;  described, 
205  ;  view  from  summit  of,  206  ;  re- 
sort of  Jesus,  207  ;  David  fleeing  over. 
222  ;  place  of  ascension,  222,  269  ;  Je- 
BUS  riding  over,  223  ;  Luke  xxi.  37  ; 
2  Sam.  xv.  30  ;  Luke  xxiv.  50,  xix. 
37,38,41  :  Mat.  xxi.  9. 

Nain  (pleasantness),  .ZVei'n,  visit  to,  old 
cemetery  of,  33 1 ,  Luke  vii.  11-17. 

Naphtali  (my  wrestling),  366,  Deut. 
xxxiii.  23. 

Nazareth  (the  branch),  Nasirah,  fertile 
vale  of,  366  ;  Church  of  the  Annunci- 
ation, etc.,  362  ;  girls  at  fountain  of 
the  Virgin,  363  ;  splendid  view  from 
the  hill,  365;  foot-prints  of  Jesus,  366; 
Luke  i  26,  iv.  16,  29. 

Nebo  (heighth) ,  Mount,  death  of  Moses, 
'254,  Deut.  xxxiv.  1. 

No,  No-Amon,  Thebes,  grandeur  of, 
171  ;  Karnak,  174;  Nah.  iii.  8;  Jer. 

xlvi.  25  ;  1  Kings  xiv.  25. 

Nob   (hill),  site  of.  284;  1  Sam  xxii. 
•  9-23,  xx.  24. 

Noph,  see  Memphis,  182. 

Olivet,  see  Mount  of  Olives. 

On  (ability) ,  Heliopolis,  obelisk  of,  157, 


158,  Gen.  xli.  45. 
Ophrah  (fawn),  Thyideh, 


city  called 


Ephraim,"  292, 1  Sam.  xiii.  17  ;  John 
xi.  54. 
Padan-aram  (plain  of  Syria),  310,  Gen. 

xxxiii.  18. 

Patmos,  island  of,  seen,  385,  Rev.  i.  P. 
Palestine  (land  of  strangers) ,  coast  of, 
191  ;  central  hills  of,  322  ;  blending 
with  Syria,  370  ;  Joel  iii.  4. 
Peor  (opening),  heights  of,  253,  Num. 

xxiii.  28. 
Philistia,  same  as  Palestine,  197,   Ps. 

Ix.  8. 
Phoenicia  (land  of  palms),  370,  371,  379; 

Acts  xxi.  2,  xi.  lu. 

Pisgah    (the   height),  Mount,  AUarug, 
25-i,    254  ;    Num.    xxiii.    14  ;    Deut. 
xxxiv.  1. 
Ptolemais,  Acre,  'Akka,  see  Accho,369, 

Acts  xxi.  7. 
Puteoli,  Pozzuoli,  Paul's  visit  to,  141, 

Act*  xxviii.  13. 

Raman   (elevation),  cr-Ram,  of  Benja- 
min, 287,  Josh,  xviii.  25. 
Red  Sea,  first  sight  of,  188  ;  passage  of 
the  Israelites,  189  ;  Wells  of  Moses, 
Ayim  Musa,  on  the  Arabian  side,  song 
of  Moses,  100  ;  Ex.  xiv.  15,  xv.  1-21. 
Rephaim  (giants),  plain  of,  or  "Val- 
ley of  the  Giants,"  227  ;  Well  of  the 
Wise  Men,  226  ;  Convent  of  Elijah, 
227  ;  Josh.  xv.  8  ;  2  Sam.  v.  18-24. 
Rhegium,  Reggio,  Paul  detained  at,  142, 

Acts  xxviii.  13. 
Rhodes,  island  of,  site  of  the  Colossus, 

houses  and  ruins,  384,  Acts  xvi.  1. 
Rimmon  (pomegranate),  Rummon,  re- 
treat of  tOO  Benjamites,  292,  Jud.  xx. 
45  ;   xxi.  6.  13. 

Rome,  Paul's  hired  house,  Mamertine 
prison,  114  ;  Acts  xxviii.  cO  ;  2. Tim. 
iv.  7. 

Salt  Sea,  Dead  Sea,  first  view  of  from 
Olivet,  206;  visit  to,  248;  dreary  as- 
pect of,  249 ;  bitter  waters  of.  great  de- 
pression of,  250  ;  Cities  of  the  Plain, 
bath  in  the  sea,  '/'.SI  ;  Gen.  xiv.  3. 
lamaria  (watch-post),  Sebaste,  Sdnis- 
tieh,  fine  situation  of,  315;Church  of  St. 
John,  old  columns  and  ruins,  316  ; 
history  of,  317,  318  ;  1  Kings,  xvi.  24, 
xxii.  38  ;  2  Kings  vi.  12-33  ;  Acts  viii. 
5-24. 

Sarepta,  Zarephath  (goldsmith's  shop) , 
Sarafend,  Elijah  and  the  widow,  Christ 
and  the  Syrophenician  woman,  376, 
377  ;  1  Kings  xvii.  9  ;  Mark  xvii.  26. 
ea  of  Galilee,  fcea  of  Tiberias,  see  Gal- 
ilee, Sea  of. 

halem  (peace) ,  Salim,  "  a  city  of  She- 
chem,"  310,  Gen.  xxxiii.  18. 
haron  (level  ground) ,  plain  of,  flow- 
ers and  fields  of,  196  ;  yoke  and  plow, 
197  ;  Cant.  ii.  1  ;  Acts  ix.  35. 
Shechem  (shoulder),  Sichem,  Sychar, 
Ndblus,  306  ;  valley  of,  £05  ;  reading 
the  Law  by  Joshua,  303;  present  city, 


INDEX   OF   BIBLE   PLACES. 


407 


307;  olive  groves,  oil,  308;  Samaritans 

312  ;  lepers,  road  to  Samaria,  fields 

shepherds,  313,  314;    Josh.  viii.  33; 

Jud.  ix.  6  ;  Isa.  xvii.  6,  xl.  11. 
Shiloh   (peace),  Seilun,  identity  of  site 

of,  history  of,  295,  296  ;    Jud.   xxi. 

19-24  ;  Josh,  xviii.  1 ;  1  Sam.  i,  iv.  17, 

18;  1  Kings  xiv.  1-17;  Jer.  vii.  12. 
Shunen  (resting-place),  Sulem,  Philis 

tines'  camp  at,  Shumanite   woman. 

Elisha's  chamber,  329;  field  of  the 

reapers,  way  to  Carmel,  330  ;  2  Kings 

iv.  8-37. 
Sidon  (fishers) ,  Saida,  situation  of,  378  ; 

fine  gardens  of,  a  Christian  family, 

379  ;  history  of,  380  ;  Josh.  xi.  8. 
Siloam  (sent),  Siloah,  'AinSilwan,  Pool 

of,  and  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  Neh. 

iii.  15  ,  Isa.  viii.  6  ;  John  ix.  7. 
Siloam,  Silwan,  village  of.  2-0,  Luke 

xiii.  4. 
Smyrna,    appearance    of,     Polycarp's 

martyrdom,  385  ;  "  Church  in,"  386, 

Rev.  i.  11. 
Sodom  (burning) ,  250    251  ;  apples  of, 

263  ;  GCR.  xiii.  10, 12,'xix.  28. 
Solomon  (pacific),  Pools  of,  d-Burak, 

228-231  ;  Eccl.  ii.  6. 
Syria  (upland),  350,  370  ;  Mat.  iv.  24. 
Taanach  (sandy  soil) ,  Ta'annuk,  site  of, 

defeat  of  Jabin  and  Sisera  at.  326, 

Jud.  v.  19. 


Tabor  (quarry) , Mount,  Jebel  et-Tur,  first 
sight  of,  330  ;  beauty  of,  331  ;  ascent 
of,  334  ;  summit  of,  grand  views  from, 
335,  337,  339  ;  scene  of  the  Transfigur- 
ation, 338  ;  Ps.  Ixxxix.  12  ;  Mat.  xvii. 
1-9. 

Tekoa  (tent-pitching) ,  Tekua,  232;  2  Sam. 
xiv.  2  ;  Amos  i.  1. 

Tiberias,  Tubariyeh,  appearance,  tombs, 
baths  of,  344,  John  vi.  23. 

Tophet  (timbrel),  218;  Isa.  xxx.  33  ; 
Jer.  xxxii.  35 

Tyre  (rock)  Sur,  situation  of,  373  ;  pro- 
phecies of  fulfilled,  ruins  of,  374; 
Paul  at,  375;  Ezek.  xxvi.  12,14,  xxvii. 
32;  Isa.  xxiii.  12;  Josh.  xix.  29; 
Acts  xxi.  3. 

Tyre  and  Sidon,  coast  of,  power  of  the 
old  PluBnicians,  "Ladder  of  Tyre," 
371  ;  gazelles,  376  ,  Jonah  and  the 
great  fish,  370  ;  Beirut,  381  ;  Mat.  xv. 
•/I  ;  Jonah  ii.  10. 

Zebulon  (habitation) ,  position  and  rich- 
ness of,  366,  Deut.  xxxiii.  18,  19. 

Zion  (sunny  place),  Mount,  standing 
on,  202;  situation  of,  203:  "  plowed  as 
a  field,"  218  ;  English  Church  on. 221  ; 

S reaching  on,  224,  -.81  ;  Ps.  xlviii.  2  ; 
er.  xxvi.  18  ;  Mic.  iii.  12. 
Zoan  (low  region),  "in  Egypt,"  235, 
Num.  xiii.  22. 


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